A Divergent Four
by futurecullen05
Summary: I am writing the story according to Four. As I was re-reading the story this weekend, his voice kept popping into my head and I realized I needed to attempt to write the book through his eyes. I am going to try to follow the book's events as much as possible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am writing it! All characters from Divergent present.
1. Chapter 1: Flashback

Four rubbed his hands over his face to try to wake himself up. He had been staring at this computer screen all night, having traded his day shift for Zeke's night shift so Zeke could take his latest conquest on a date. He was waiting for Jared to come relieve him so he could grab a quick breakfast and head to sleep. In two days, the new initiates would be coming in and he wanted to be fresh so he could scare the shit out of them. He always enjoyed the first day with the transfers; their eyes wide open to life at Dauntless.

Jared finally walked into the room carrying two cups of coffee. "Sorry I'm late man, there was a ruckus in the Pit. Some girl was screaming at Zeke, must have been a good night for him. Here's some coffee." Four couldn't help but smirk at his best friend, knowing he would get the full story later at lunch. "No problem, keep an eye on Sector 4, the factionless look like they are grouping up. We may have to send someone over there later." "Better watch out for Abnegation if we do, those Stiffs will probably want to throw them a party." Jared sat down in Four's vacated seat focusing on the monitor he pointed out. As he walked out of the room, his mind was in another place. "Oh Four, Tori wanted me to tell you to stop by the tattoo parlor before you went to the cafeteria. She said something about checking your tattoo for infection. Did you get another one?" Four just nodded, "Yeah she slipped in one spot. Thanks man." He sighed at having to wait a little longer on getting his breakfast, at least Jared had brought him coffee. He was going to have to get another tattoo now in case Jared brought it up later since he knew that wasn't what Tori wanted him for.

He quietly slipped into the parlor and found her at the back cleaning her tools. "Hey you said you wanted to check my tattoo for infection?" She looked up at him wide eyed and gestured toward the back room. Four pushed through the curtain and Tori immediately followed. He moved back as far as he could, this room was quite cozy. "I just wanted to let you know that I am administering tests again and I'll keep an eye out for any special friends and leave you their names. I don't know how much longer we can keep this up." "Well it's been going pretty well so we just have to keep carefully monitoring them and make sure Eric doesn't take notice of any of them if they come to us." "That's what I thought. I'll make sure to get back to you ASAP."

Four walked out and grabbed her tools, "We really need to find a different code. I'm starting to run out of room." He smiled as she led him to the chair farthest in the back. "What do you want this time?" "Just add to the one I already have, some more flames or something." Tori sat down and quickly got to work. "Oh yeah, and you better slip up in one spot. Make it count." Four closed his eyes as Tori added to her masterpiece on his back, cringing when her needle went in a little too far at the base of his shoulder blade. "All done, looks like you are infection free." Tori gave him a pat on the back as he got up to leave. He turned back before he headed to breakfast, "Be careful tomorrow. Stay focused on what you need to do." With that Four walked out, determined to get some food and much needed sleep. As he walked down the corridor, he had a flashback to the first day he met Tori and how it changed his life.

* * *

_He shuffled into the testing area, determined to keep his head down. He didn't want to give his father any evidence toward…no not today. He would not think about him today. As he waited he looked around at all the other factions as inconspicuously as he could. The Erudite had their noses buried in books, every now and then looking up to discuss some new concept with others sitting near them. The Candor were having debates that became heated at points but ended in laughter. The Amnity weren't sitting at their assigned tables; instead they pushed them out of the area and were sitting in a circle playing some hand slapping game. The Dauntless were the loudest, sitting on tables, practicing fighting stances, linking hands to see who was strongest. And then there was Abnegation, sitting silently in the corner on the edge of their seats as if prepared to give it up at any second to people in need. Four couldn't imagine continuing life in his faction, for more reasons than one._

_Soon someone came out of the testing area and shouted for everyone to quiet down, of course the Dauntless were the last ones. Were they always so obnoxious? "Your tests will begin soon. Please listen for your names as we call them and step forward to a door along this hallway. Remember you are not to discuss your test results with anyone, including family. As always good luck and we will see you tomorrow for the Choosing Ceremony."_

_She begins to call names and I sat quietly. I heard my name called and stepped up to an open door. As I pushed my way through it I saw it was lined with mirrors and my eyes immediately snapped to the ground. A woman was setting up a station next to a chair. "Welcome, my name is Tori. Please have a seat," was all she said without even looking up at me. I shuffled my way over and sat in the chair. She immediately handed me a vial, "Drink this," she said. "What's it for?" "It is going to allow the computer to access your brain. The computer will give you a series of situations in which you are going to have to make a choice. It will eliminate each faction until you are left with one. Now drink." I swallowed it in one gulp and turned to hand her back the vial and noticed she was missing._

_The first thing in front of me was two stone pillars. One had cheese and one had a knife. "Choose," a voice said. I began to ask why but thought better of it. I was trying to figure out what situation would require me to make a choice between cheese and a knife when both disappeared and I heard a snarling behind me. I turned and saw a dog enter the room, foaming at the mouth. I now realized what those items would be used for. As I didn't have either I thought about lying down and holding out my hand for the dog. When I did, the dog immediately began licking my hand and as I looked up I noticed it was no longer vicious. I just began to breathe again when I heard a little girl yell "puppy" and the dog turned and launched itself at her. I jumped up and stepped in the way of the dog. As the dog's mouth closed around my shoulder, it all disappeared and I was back on the table in front of Tori. She was looking at me strangely as she hurridly typed on the computer. "Why didn't you choose something from the pillar?" "I wasn't sure what it was for and I was trying to figure out which would be the best to take. Why?" "No reason but your result is Abnegation, not much of a surprise. You can exit the way you came in. And remember; don't share your results with anyone." I couldn't stand. Abnegation. I would never escape. Tori gave me a hard look, "Are you not happy with your results? You can talk with me, we are safe in here." I looked at her hesitantly but I had no reason to doubt her, lying was a selfish thing to do, except she wasn't Abnegation, so maybe she had no problem lying. "I was just hoping for a change. I'm not sure I'm cut out for selfless giving." "Well in the end it is your choice. But remember, if you choose to switch, make sure people don't know it was your choice. That can get you in trouble." With that she turned away from me, leaving me with a million questions but knowing my time was up I stepped out of the room. I slowly walked home, not wanting to face what was waiting for me through those doors._

* * *

Four shook his head to remove the memory and stepped into the cafeteria to find Zeke huddled in the corner. "Hey man, heard you put on quite the show this morning." "Shhh I'm trying to hide out from that crazy bitch. Do you know she threw me out of my own apartment?! She locked me out for an hour before I finally was able to get back in." "Well maybe this is finally the sign you needed to stop going after the crazy ones." With that we began a banter back and forth until I finished eating. "Well I'm going to head back up to my room, I had a long night, although not quite as long as yours it seems like." Four laughed as he made his way out of the cafeteria through the Pit, glancing around at the place that he has called home for 2 years.


	2. Chapter 2: Initiates

Four was up early the next morning anticipating the long day ahead of him. He knew the initiates would be here the next day and he needed to get a lot of things prepared. Jared and Zeke had already agreed to take over whatever shifts they could in the control room and would train a substitute for any shifts they couldn't cover. Four began his day with his typical workout. First he ran the streets of the city, passing by where the crowds would gather very soon with nervous 16 year olds. He was so glad to have that part of his life over.

As he jogged through the downtown area he noticed quite a few factionless gathering and made a mental note to discuss that with Max. When he reached the pier, he looped over one more block and headed back to the compound. Just as he predicted, the lines were already forming outside the school building. He noticed all the doors had kids milling around except Dauntless but then again the train didn't come for another 10 minutes. He slowed down to observe the Abnegation line, the swarm of grey kids trying not to get noticed. All except one, she was turned looking at the direction of the train. She caught his eyes for a second and then turned back around when another boy in grey grabbed her shoulder. 'Never sway from our faction's expectations,' Four thought as he continued to run.

When he returned to the compound, he entered the training room to practice sparing. He hung the punching bag from the hook and began to slowly practice all his combat moves taught to him by Amar. Slow at first but then speeding up, Four became a blur as he attacked the bag. When he slowed, his body was covered in a sheen of sweat. He removed his shirt and grabbed the guns from the cabinet. He set up targets in various places around the room and dodged, rolled, and shot his way through the landscape he set up. He was just rearranging it for a second round when Lauren entered the room. "I thought I heard shooting. You never stop do you? You are like a machine." She smiled at him and he knew if he gave it a chance, she would love to have something more than a training relationship but he just wasn't up for it. The past few weeks he was slowly coming to a conclusion he needed to leave. He loved Dauntless and all it taught him in self-defense but he still didn't feel like he belonged here. He vowed to himself after this round of initiates he was going to leave, become factionless.

"I just figure I better get all the rust off before the newbies come," Four said as he put his shirt back on. Lauren laughed at that comment, "As if any rust could even form. Aren't you here almost every day?" Four just smirked and began to rearrange the room to its normal placement. "What do you think the spread will be tomorrow?" Lauren asked. "A few Candor, a few Erudite, maybe an Amity," Four answered. Every year they placed wagers on how many defectors they would get. "No Abnegation. No family or friends wanting to join you?" Lauren was one of the few people who knew he came from Abnegation as she was in his initiate class. With his stern attitude and impressive physical endurance no one would believe he wasn't from Dauntless. "I doubt it, why would anyone choose this over a life of self-sacrificing?" Lauren laughed loudly as she cleaned the knives. "Why are you getting those out?" Four asked. "Eric said they were a part of training this year, all trainees need to learn how to throw them." "Ugh, I can't imagine why."

After they finished setting everything up, they headed out to each get their dorm ready. "I heard Zeke is having a party tonight. You going?" "Of course, Zeke would kill me if I didn't come protect him from the crazy girls who are after him." Lauren stepped a little closer as she walked out the door, "Maybe I'll see you there then." She gave him a coy smile and headed out, leaving Four thinking of a way to let her down easy.

* * *

That night, Four had way too much to drink for it being the night before the initiates were coming. He stumbled out of Zeke's apartment and headed back to his own. As he made his way, he became aware of footsteps behind him. He whipped around expecting it to be Lauren trying one last time to come back to his apartment with him but unfortunately it was much worse. It was Eric.

"Four, can I have a word?" He stepped into a side hallway and Four tried to clear his head as much as possible. "I see you are enjoying yourself. Don't you think that's a little unprofessional seeing as you are leading the initiate group tomorrow?" Four laughed, maybe a little too loudly, at Eric's use of the word professional with studs all over his face. "I will be ready for tomorrow Eric, don't worry." He remembered what a pain in his ass Eric was during their own initiation and it seems Eric has never gotten over the fact that Four was always better than him.

"Well, just a warning, I am going to be much more invested in this year's training than previous leaders have been. I want to make sure it is done correctly." Four gritted his teeth and kept himself from saying something he would regret. He knew what this meant, Eric was going to dictate how these initiates would be trained and that drove him crazy, which explained the knives. "Sounds good, it will be good for them to see one of their leaders involved." With that Four turned on his heel and walked away and into his apartment to sleep off this mental daze he was in.

* * *

"Any time now, " Lauren said. They had been waiting for 20 minutes for the initiates to arrive. "Where did you sneak off to last night? I looked for you when I left but couldn't find you." "Eric had to discuss training with me, I guess he is going to be more involved than previous leaders, whatever that means." Lauren's face showed the same concern that Four's did last night. "My thoughts exactly." Four turned to listen for the train as they waited by the net.

After another 5 minutes, they could hear it rumbling toward the compound. "What faction will jump first?" "Dauntless of course, " Lauren said. She moved into position as they heard the first cries of jumpers off the train. Four then heard Max's voice in the distance but can't make out what he's saying. Any time now the first jumper would hit the net. Sure enough, everyone got quiet and then he saw a figure dropping toward him. The body bounced into the net as Lauren and he reached up to grab her. They both exchanged very surprised looks when they saw grey clothing coming toward them in the net. Four grabbed a hold of her, noticing how small she was, and set her on the ground. "Thank you," comes quietly from behind him. Of course Lauren can't keep her opinion to herself. "Can't believe it, a stiff." Four sternly looks at her, knowing full well what it means to transfer out of that faction. "There's a reason why she left Lauren." He gives her a knowing look and she shuts up. He turns his attention to the girl, again noticing her small frame, sadly that probably won't last long here. "What's your name?"

"Ummm" "Think about it, you can't change it after this." "Tris."

He turns to the room where Dauntless always gather to welcome the new comers. "Tris, first jumper!" As he turns back, he notices something in her eyes he didn't see before; determination, hunger, and fire. Maybe this small stiff would make it here after all, with a little help of course.

"Welcome to Dauntless."


	3. Chapter 3: Flashburn

After all the initiates drop down on the net and Lauren takes her Dauntless-born away, Four stands in front of them assessing the haul. He has a few Candor, Erudite, and one Abnegation. She already has him watching her closer without him understanding why. She would be easily hidden among the group due to her size but the way she holds her body, proud and straight, he knows she will make her presence known. Without a word he turns and walks out of the room, smiling when he hears the initiates struggle to catch up.

He stops them just outside the pit and turns back to the crowd. "Welcome to Dauntless. My name is Four-" "Four? Like the number?" Four hates when he is interrupted, especially by a Candor who think they can speak whenever their mind has a thought. "Yes, exactly like the number." He continues without another glance in her direction. "We are about the enter the Pit where-" "The Pit, clever name." Four steps into the girl's line of sight and towers over her, watching her slink back slightly. "What's your name?" "Christina." "Well Christina, if I wanted to put up with Candor smart-asses, I would have joined your old faction. Since you chose my faction, I suggest you shut your mouth." Four continued as if nothing happened. "Life in Dauntless happens. Follow me." He turns and walks across the path overlooking the pit. It has no railings and every time Four's stomach does a small flip but he's learned to control it.

The group stops quickly behind him by the chasm. "Here is the chasm. It is an example of the fine line between bravery and idiocy. Someone dies trying to find the bottom every year and it will happen again. Just know, no one ever comes back." He turns on his heel and marches off again. The group warily looks over the railing and quickly follows him. He walks through the hole in the wall to the cafeteria. "Find a seat." He sits down at a table and grabs food immediately. Seconds later, she sits next to him and he catches the fresh smell of her clothes. His mind gets a little hazy and he glances at her out of the corner of his eye. 'It's only because she is Abnegation, ignore it. You won't be here for much longer.' But he notices how all the others dig in to eat but she sits back and stares at the food. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she doesn't ask what it is, but he can see her trying to figure it out on her own.

"It's a hamburger. Here, put this on it." He hands her the ketchup and her friends eye her oddly. "You've never had a hamburger before?" He immediately becomes protective and spits back at the Candor smart ass, "Stiffs eat plain food." Not sure why he felt the need to protect her, he goes back to his food and tries to ignore the way her arm brushes against his at the table, leaving a flashburn down his arm.

As they are eating, he notices Eric enter the room and immediately head in Four's direction. He groans quietly and puts on his respectful face, not wanting to start anything with Eric right now. Eric claps him on the shoulder and stares at him for a few seconds. Four returns the stare, refusing to be the one to break it first. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" For some reason, his stomach tightens at the thought of Eric knowing Tris' name. He has to get a hold of himself. 'This is Tris and Christina."

They both smile at him, but he just sneers and looks away. Four lets out a silent sigh of relief when he shows no interest in her. "So Max tells me he's been trying to meet up with you. What has been keeping you so busy that you can't?" Four looks up at him, gauging his body language and tone of voice. Having gone through initiation with him, Four knows Eric's defensive posture well. This was a challenge; Eric wants to know if Four is after his job.

"I told him I wasn't interested in working with him. I am happy where I am." "So he offered you a job, but you refused. Too good for it?" "Nope, just don't want it." With that Four turned away and continued eating. This may not have been the smartest move but sometimes with Eric you had to ignore him and move on. Eventually Eric wanders off to harass initiates at another table and Four exhales.

"Are you friends?" He turns sharply toward her and sizes her up. His initial reaction is that she is asking too many questions for a stiff but then realizes she must have left them for a reason, if not her curiosity. "I have to deal with all these Candors and now a curious stiff?" He says the last word with a little venom and watches her withdraw slightly until her eyes harden and that fire lights them up. "It must be because you are so approachable." She holds him with her stare, which is a new feeling for Four. Normally people tend to shy away from him when he is staring them down but she is not giving in. '_Fine, I'll give her this one,' _he thinks and looks away but not before quietly muttering, "Careful Tris." With that he gets up from the table and walks away leaving her narrowed eyes burning daggers into his back.

As Four is leaving the cafeteria, he runs into Eric again. "I'll show them the dorms, you need to check in at control. Jared was asking for you." Eric walks away without a word and Four exhales and heads up there. Before he reaches there, his eyes focus on the tattoo parlor and he decides to talk to Tori first about her day testing.

"Hey Bud, is Tori in?" he asks the manager. "She's in the back." Four walks through the curtain and finds her washing her tools. "Hey." She jumps slightly and turns toward him. "Could you at least make some noise when you walk, it's creepy how silent you are." "Never know when it could come in handy. Any news?" Tori checks out the curtain before turning back to Four. "Only two, Uriah which we already suspected and some Abnegation girl. I told her to hide herself in a faction, we'll see if she listened." "What was her name?" "I can't remember exactly, something with a B. Beatrice I think." "Alright thanks. Gotta run." Four makes his way to the control room wondering if this Tris is the one Tori warned. He is going to have to keep an even closer eye on her than he thought.

Jared didn't have anything to report so he headed to Zeke's for a little down time. Zeke opened the door and handed him a beer immediately which he drained and grabbed another one. "I've missed you today. How are the newbies?" "Interesting, we have some Candor smart mouths but I think I've shut those down already. A few Erudite who seem to be trying to convince us all how tough they are. And….an Abnegation." Zeke looks up at him with worry. He also knows where Four came from and Four can see the wonder in his eyes if this is someone coming for him. "I have never seen her before in my life. She is small and frail looking, yet holds herself with a lot more pride than I would think, but has a quick mouth on her. I don't know how to place her. She seems stronger than she looks and her stares are almost as volatile as mine." While Four was talking about Tris, Zeke's smile got larger and larger. 'What man?" Zeke began to laugh, "I don't know. Maybe the fact that you have observed so much about this girl makes me happy someone is finally going to break down that hard shell you got going on. I've tried so many times with so many girls, I never thought to bring one of your own here." Four takes a big swig of his beer and gives Zeke a hard look. "What did you say?" "Just that these Dauntless girls have never caught your attention even though they throw themselves at you daily and now a stiff walks through the door and she has you making googly eyes at her." "Googly eyes?! How did what I just told you make you think I'm making googly eyes at her?"

Four could feel his temper rising and with the addition of alcohol in his system he couldn't promise Zeke's face would be left alone. "Settle down dude, I see that look, no punching. I'm just saying, you are noticing way more than you normally do. Be careful, you know how Eric is about you. If he thinks you like her, he will rip her apart." Four finished his beer and decided he shouldn't be hung over for his first day with the trainees. "Alright I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the talk man." Zeke laughs as he heads for the door. "Oh and Four, one more thing." "What?" Four turns to see his friend pretending to make out with someone. "Oh yeah Four just like that. You are so sexy and strong. Please wrap me up in your cold stone arms." Four throws his bottle at Zeke's head and narrowly misses. Zeke turns around with a fake shock on his face. "Four, I can't believe you would endanger another man's life like that." Just as Four gets to the door, he hears Zeke start a line of "Four and Tris sitting in a tree, K-I-S" and he slams the door shut. He hears Zeke's laughter as he heads back to his apartment to try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, especially since he can still feel where her arm was touching his in the cafeteria.


	4. Chapter 4: Willpower

**This one was harder to write, there isn't a lot of Four in this chapter in the book so I had to add a lot in. Sorry if it's slow but the story is slow getting started on Four's end if you think about it. Some of the scenes I'm most excited for are coming up: Peter/Tris fight, ferris wheel, fear landscapes, etc. Please stick with me and give me a review if you feel so inclined :) I don't own any of this, unfortunately!**

* * *

Four looks at the initiates standing before him. This is the start of the process, he tries to size up who will stay and who will go but his eyes keep flashing to a small blonde haired girl in the back and his mind can't take the thought of her factionless.

"Today you begin your training with guns. Dauntless training has three stages, each a test to your toughness, which you will need as the city's protectors. The first stage is purely physical, pushing you to the breaking point, the second stage is completely emotional, testing the limits of your body's responses, and the last stage is mental, making you face your fears head on. To be Dauntless you need to be the champion of your body, emotions, and mind. This will help you become stronger and braver." He looks around the room to groggy faces and groans. As he is passing out guns, the smart ass from Candor questions the importance of guns and bravery, "What does firing a gun have to do with bravery?" he yawns while casually holding the gun.

Before anyone can react, Four presses his gun to Peter's temple and clicks a bullet into the chamber. 'Wake up! You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it!" He pulls his gun away and begins to walk to the targets as he sees a burning look coming from Peter's eyes. Without a word to the group, Four takes his stance. His feet are perfectly set, evenly spaced. His arms are straight casually but firmly holding the gun in front of him. He controls his breathing; in, out, aim, and shoot. The hole appears in the middle as it always does, he can't help but feel a surge of self-pride, he's worked hard to get where he is today. He turns back to the initiates and assigns them a board to begin practicing on.

Observing the newbies, he notices most of them need a lot of work on stance and posture. Al slumps over his arms, causing his aim to be sporadic. Four learned early on you have to be confident holding a firearm or it will control you. Peter has too much malice in his eyes, Four makes a mental note to keep an eye on him. As he scans the room, his eyes fall on her. She mimics his stance perfectly but he sees the hesitation that comes from a life of self-serving, he remembers that feeling of first holding a gun well.

* * *

_Four is handed a gun from Amar, unsure of how to hold it. "Alright initiates today we learn to fire a gun. Most of you have probably never held one so we'll start with the basics. 'It's not made of glass Four!'" Amar yells at me. I feel my face blush and I dip my head down. Next to me Eric snickers and from within me comes a determination to do better than him. After all, what can a bookie know about shooting a weapon? Four focuses in on what Amar is saying and adjusts his feet accordingly. "Remember, how you hold your gun determines the outcome of where your bullet will go. If you hold it loosely, the gun will control you. That's how deadly accidents happen so focus on your weapon." Amar continues to show them how to stand and where to place their feet. Four notices Eric pompously standing there not practicing with the group. Amar notices too, "What's wrong smart ass, don't understand what I'm telling you to do?" Eric's eyes flash anger, "No, I've just read a lot about this and know what to do." "Oh you read about it? Ok wise guy, show us how it's done." Eric looks slightly embarrassed but sets his jaw and turns toward the target. He raises his gun, fires, and misses the board completely. Amar laughs as well as most of the group, Four being one of them. "Well thank you for that great example about what reading about holding a gun will do for you and what practicing holding a gun will do for you." Amar continues to describe the stance and then tells them to practice. Four slowly sets his feet, raises his arms, breathes in, breathes out, and fires. A hole appears within the target area. "Nicely done stiff," Amar says as he walks by and then turns toward Eric, "That's what listening does for you Eric, you should try it sometime." The last thing Four remembers is Eric's deathly stare aimed at him while holding a loaded weapon._

* * *

Four snaps out of his memory just as she raises the gun and fires, completely missing the board, the gun almost flying out of her arms. She has to steady herself on the wall behind her to stay standing. She is so small. Her look of frustration causes him to quietly chuckle but he keeps his focus on her. He sees the determination flare in her eyes and she finds her stance again, holding the gun more firmly and fires off a few rounds but misses the board each time. Finally the Erudite boy named Will leans over and whispers, "Statistically speaking, you should have hit the board at least once by now." She narrows her eyes at him but Four sees this is just what she needed. It is what wakes her up. She turns back, raises her arms and fires the gun. The bullet hits the target, near the edge, but a hit nonetheless. Four sees her triumphant smile aimed at Will and wishes it were directed at him for a fleeting second before he turns on his heel and walks away.

As they break for lunch, he wonders if she will sit by him again. Four realizes he is obsessing and has to stop. As he sits by Zeke, he can't help but be a little upset when their table fills up before Tris enters. As they are starting on the cake in the middle, he feels her enter the room and turns his head slightly to watch her sit down. Christina is on one side and Al is on the other with his arm around her shoulders. He immediately bristles at the contact and jealousy rears it's ugly head inside of him. He is relieved right after to see her shrug it off, trying to be casual. They are all laughing at something that is happening and Four finds himself involuntarily smiling with her unable to stop himself. There is something about this girl that has him captivated and he feels himself slipping further and further into her grasp. He sees her eyes flash to another table and directs his gaze as well. Edward and Myra are kissing and he knows why she has a look of revulsion on her face, that act is supposed to be private. Again the table bursts out in laughter and her face turns a deep shade of red. She takes one quick glance back over at the table and then looks down at her food. His mind is overtaken by the thought of kissing her and it's all he can do to stay in his seat. Finally too overwhelmed, he stands up and storms out of the cafeteria, knowing he has to get his emotions in check.

* * *

Later in the day, Four leads the initiates to the large combat room and shows them the chalkboard that will eventually hold their standings. "Today we are going to learn some fighting techniques and practice on the punching bags and tomorrow you will begin to fight each other." He notes the spark in Peter's eye, again making a mental note to strategically pair up his fights with people who can handle him.

Besides shooting the guns, demonstrating physical combat is Four's favorite part of training. Despite his background, learning and perfecting these skills gives him a sense of power knowing he is now able to defend himself. He begins with a series of simple punches in the air and then demonstrates them on the bag. He shows a few more intricate combos and smirks at the initiates trying to follow along. After punching has been demonstrated, he explains various kicks as well but warns against them in close range. "An enemy can use your momentum as well as your leg to flip you to the ground. The ground is the most dangerous place to be, you want to avoid it at all costs. Now spread out and practice what I just showed you. Remember you will be using these skills tomorrow so use your time today wisely. Move!" The initiates spread out and the sound of skin on leather soon fills the room.

Four walks around and assess each person's fighting skills. Again he notices how dangerous and aggressive Peter is, Edward seems to have had practice at this, Myra looks very weak and afraid, Will also has a dangerous side to him and is quick on his feet, Al is timid and punches with little enthusiasm, Molly looks just as dangerous as Peter and Edward, and Christina is scrappy using every inch of her body to assault the bag. Finally his eyes settle on Tris, purposefully saving her for last. He finds himself walking toward her and stops directly in front of her. He watches her punching and kicking for a minute and then says, "You don't have a lot of muscle, it would be more worthwhile to use your knees and elbows, those are your most dangerous weapons." Without thinking, he presses a hand to her stomach, "Never forget to keep tension here," he quietly whispers in her ear before removing his hand and walking away. He sees her look at him in surprise but all he can focus on is the fire on his hand from where he touched her. As he walks away he wonders if she noticed too but his mind is put at ease when he hears a small exhale before knees and elbows begin to attack the bag.

The group is dismissed for dinner but Four knows he can't go to the cafeteria or he might do something stupid. He has to get her off his mind, rationalizing that the only reason she is there is because she is from his old faction. He ends up outside Zeke's apartment and knocks. "Come in," Zeke calls. "Dude I need your help." Zeke turns to him, "Who's ass do you need kicked?" "No it's not that." "Body removed?" "ZEKE! I'm serious." "Ok man, have a seat, what do you need?" Four has no idea where to start so he just starts talking. "I'm in too deep, I can't get her off my mind. This is ridiculous; I know nothing about her yet every thought I have is directed towards her. Every moment we are training I am checking to see if she is keeping up. What do I do? Eric is going to notice, I can't stop myself." Zeke exhales and looks at his friend. He knows Four is struggling with this and thinks of the best way to help him out. "Look, what I figure is, you just have to make it through training and initiation. If she makes it, and you still have feelings for her then you can act on them. Doing so now will only get her unfairly judged or worse, killed." Four's eyes flashed at the thought of Tris being killed and he knew he had to be smart and keep his distance from her. "Thanks man, I needed that. There is just something about her but I am going to keep my distance and after this is all over, if she makes it, I will decide what to do." Four slaps Zeke on the shoulder and heads out of his room to take a walk and sort out his thoughts.

As he is walking through the pit, he sees her instantly. His body has become so attuned to her in the few short days he has known her. He sees Christina pull her into a clothing store and tries to get himself to walk away but finds his feet won't listen. After a few short minutes, she steps out of the dressing room in a tight fitting black dress that billows out just at her knees. He sees her figure in it and a fire begins to build in his stomach. The girls check out at the counter and race to the tattoo parlor. That is actually where he was headed so he slowly follows in the distance. Once there, he sees Will and Al, who are looking at tattoos. Al smiles a little too brightly at Tris and Four's hands form into fists. He notices Tris walk over to Tori as if she knows her and when Tori turns, her eyes flash angrily when they see Tris. They exchange a few words and Tori walks off. Tris looks upset and Four guesses where they know each other from. Just as he is leaving, he watches Tris walk over to Tori again and sit down in her chair. She proceeds to get three ravens on her collarbone and Four has to turn and run before he walks over and does something he will regret. He finds those tattoos to be the hottest thing he's seen about this girl yet and he knows tomorrow will be another troubling day.


	5. Chapter 5: Fury

Today was the day the initiates would start fighting and Tobias couldn't sleep. At 4 A.M. he was up and went for a morning jog through the streets. In his attempt to clear his mind of Tris, his run did the opposite. He found himself thinking more about her and worried for her in this stage. He couldn't pair her against the weakest fighters for two reasons. The first being that it would be obvious to everyone she was being protected and the second being she wouldn't make it out of round one. But he also didn't have a lot of choices to put her up against that would be close to a fair fight. Any of the guys would annihilate her and most of the girls probably won't be ranked high enough to benefit her.

As he turned back toward the compound, he realized with an odd number, at least he could give her and himself one more day to prepare. He knew she wouldn't be fighting today but this was the only day he could give her and he hoped she would be ready for tomorrow. Once he re-entered the compound, he grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the combat room. After an hour workout and half an hour of staring at the board, he finally got the first round of fights figured out. He wanted to see if Will could draw some of Al's hesitation out of him so he paired them up. Also, while Al had the strength, Will was really fast which would be a great counter balance. The next fight he wrote was Christina vs. Molly. He knew this was a long shot for Christina, a few good punches from Molly and she would be out but Christina was also scrappy and wasn't afraid to fight dirty. With her small stature, Molly's straightforward style of fighting might cause her to struggle a bit.

* * *

The initiates walked in while Four was standing with his back to the door facing the board. They quietly filed over and he knew they were waiting for him to address them. He turned toward them, giving them clear sight of the board. He saw their eyes hungrily looking for their own name and saw excitement in some and disappointment in others. Surprisingly he saw Tris sigh in relief, he thought she would be hungry for the challenge. Maybe she was as nervous as he thought she would be.

"Since there are an odd number of you, one of you won't be fighting today," Four says as he makes his way over to the mats. They slowly follow and he calls up the first fight, Will and Al. They warily make their way into the ring, unsure of what is to happen since they are the first fighters. They both take their ready stances and begin to shuffle around each other. Neither wants to take the first hit and Four is getting impatient. He doesn't want to watch the friends mutilate each other but if they don't start soon he may have to goad them a little.

Surprisingly, Al takes the first swing and knocks Will square in the jaw. Four is impressed with the strength behind it and narrowly misses Will's punch attempt and Al's quick block. As they continue, Four sees Will hook his foot around Al's ankle and knocks him to the ground. "Stay off the ground initiate!" Four yells. Al scrambles up and resumes his stance. Just then Four sees the door open and watches Eric walk in. For the boys' sake, he hopes they continue and don't waste Eric's time.

Unfortunately, it seems Al has used up all his courage. He keeps glancing at Four as if he is going to call time. Four flinches as Eric shouts, "Do you think this is a leisure activity? Fight each other!" Al stupidly responds and Four recognizes the fire in Eric's eyes. The same fire that was there the day they fought in the ring. Eric still has the scar where Four ripped out his eyebrow piercing but in fairness Amar warned him to take it out prior to the fight.

* * *

_Four and Eric enter the ring, a buzz of excitement surrounded the area. The other initiates had been waiting for this day after being subjected to the rivalry between the two since day one. Four absolutely despised Eric and wanted to show him today what he deserved. But he was also going to be smart about it, knowing revenge wasn't an emotion that got you to the end goal. He needed determination, cunning, and speed to beat Eric. Little did Eric know, Four trained every night after dinner and in the morning before breakfast but kept that fact to himself._

_Four sees Eric ready himself and he takes his stance as well. Amar signals to start and Eric immediately rushes Four, knocking him to the ground. Four remembers the number one rule and swings his body around and is up on his feet before Eric realizes what happens. Eric starts for him again but Four gets in three quick jabs, one to his face, one to his ribs, and one to his neck. Eric stumbles back and that is when Four really unleashes on him. One particular blow to his face tears out his eyebrow ring, which causes a stream of blood to run down Eric's face. Four can see he is disoriented so he becomes a whirlwind of fists and kicks and eventually he is standing over Eric, vaguely hearing Amar yelling to stop, and he delivers one last punch and knocks him out. Four walks out of the arena and down to a spot he found at the bottom of the chasm the first day he was here. He looks at his bloody hands and realizes his worst nightmare. He could have stopped but he continued until Eric couldn't stand. In that moment, he was a mirror image of his father._

* * *

Al challenges Eric by asking how long they have to fight. Four steps forward answer but Eric is faster, "You will fight until one of you can't continue." Although he knew he had to be careful and respectful of Eric, Four did not appreciate Eric stepping in and taking over his training, leader or not. "Or until one of you concedes, " Four answers. Eric glares at him and spits out, "According to the old rules, but the new rules say no one concedes." Without thinking Four responds, getting in Eric's face, "A brave man acknowledges the strength of others." Eric steps closer to him, "A brave man never surrenders." They continue to stare each other down until Eric turns back to the fighters, "Continue or you're out." He steps away from Four but not before giving him one more glance of pure hatred.

Four turns as he hears Al ask, "What's the point?" Did this guy not learn to shut his mouth and fight? Will responds, "What, you think it's going to be that easy?" Four watches as the two continue with more fervor than before. He cringes as he watches Al deliver the blow that knocks Will out. As Will crumples to the ground, his eyes turn back to Al just in time to see his spirit break. Al stumbles off the mat and sits near Tris and Christina. Four briefly makes eye contact with her, seeing the shock of her fist exposure to violence in her eyes, before grabbing Will and hauling him off the mat. He feels for Al, knowing some people like the idea of Dauntless until the violence becomes real to them. To contain his fury at the "new" system, he walks over and circles Al's name on the board and takes a second to calm his heart rate down.

Will is struggling to walk and falls to the ground. Eric turns to Four, "Get him up." Four bites back his hatred of Eric and assists Will off the ground. He realizes Will won't be able to walk and doubts Eric will allow another initiate to walk him to the infirmary so he hesitantly heads toward the door with him. He glances back and sees Tris' eyes wide with fear and knows his mirror hers. The thought of leaving her alone in a room with Eric is terrifying but Will needs medical attention fast. Christina and Molly take the stage per Eric's orders and he is sorry he won't see how this fight turns out. As they are leaving, Four hears Christina cry out from a punch from Molly and knows he has to hurry or he may not have any initiates left.

Four gets Will checked in and settled and then rushes back to the combat room. When he pushes through the doors, he notices the room is empty. There is at least 10 minutes left, there is no way Eric let them out early. As he tries to decide where Eric would take them, he hears shouting coming from near the chasm. He quickly makes his way over there and sees the group standing near the chasm as Tris and Al rush forward and pull a shaking Christina over to the safe side of the railing. Four wonders what happened until he sees Eric's smug face staring at the group. Eric dismisses the group and turns to leave. Four makes sure they are all out of earshot and walks over to grab Eric. He spins him around by the shoulder and gets in his face. "From now on, stay out of my training room unless you are observing and no more torturing the initiates. They have enough to deal with without a psychopath tormenting them."

Four knows he's gone too far but that could have been Tris over that ledge and he can barely contain his anger. If only he had brought Zeke with him, he was always good at diffusing a tense situation. Eric puffs himself up and stares Four down. "I don't take orders from you, I'll do what I want when I want and you will keep your mouth shut about it. Don't think I can't get you removed from this faction if I wanted to." Eric turns on his heal and storms off leaving Four shaking from anger and fear of Eric's threat. As he walks back to his apartment, he knows he took it too far and Eric's wrath is only beginning.


	6. Chapter 6: Rooted

As usual, Four rises early and heads to the training room to attempt to put together today's fighting pairs. He has decided to start Tris off with Will. He knows Will won't go 100% at her and it will still help her with her ranking. As he enters the arena, he sees a figure standing by the chalkboard. Eric turns around, putting down the chalk in his hand, smirking at Four. "I knew you got here early but this is a little ridiculous. Don't worry I already took care of it. I want to speed things along; really get to know the initiates." As he says this, Four catches a glint of something in Eric's eyes but can't quite place it. As his eyes drift over the board, he notices Tris' name in the last spot, across from Peter.

In that instant, Four realizes two things. Tris is being punished for his actions by the chasm yesterday and if that is the case, Eric must suspect his feelings for her. "What do you think Four? Should be an interesting day today shouldn't it?" Eric gives him a hard look, waiting for him to react. Four has been suppressing his true feelings for a while so it is the only saving grace in this situation. The thoughts inside of him are screaming, cursing at Eric for doing this to her and knowing he is going to have to watch it, yet he keeps his face calm, relaxed as if the board has no effect on him. His brain moves quickly finding an explanation for what he is about to say.

"It looks good except for Edward's pairing. Molly isn't much of a challenge for him. After watching all of them during practice, I notice Peter is much closer to Edward's skill level and it would be a good chance for both of them to fight someone more equally trained." His face is blank, showing no emotion except for a trainer looking to get the most out of his initiates. Inside him, a war is waging between smashing Eric's face in and running, grabbing Tris, and leaving the compound forever or staying to see this through. The latter of the two win out with the hope that he can do something to help her.

"Well, I admit a fight between them would be interesting, but I think seeing what the Stiff has to offer would be much more beneficial today." Eric begins to leave the room, "I'm going to grab breakfast. These matches are final, no matter how much you are attached to the Stiff." He walks out and Four is frozen to the spot for a moment and then walks over to the gun cabinet, removes a weapon, and fires as many rounds as he can imagining Eric's face on the target. His emotions are in check when everyone begins to arrive.

They all file in, nervously checking the board to see what hell they will be put through today. Four's entire mind is focused on Tris and her reaction to the board. Her face pales and eyes widen as she reads the name next to hers, glancing at him for a second. He realizes she must think he did it, why would she think any different, and he immediately curses Eric wondering if this was part of his plan. Christina walks up to Tris and looks in the direction she is looking. Four watches her read the board, swear under her breath, and put a protective arm around Tris. How he wishes it was him comforting her, reassuring her he doesn't want her to fight Peter anymore than she does. But he walks over and announces the first fight, trying to remove himself from this situation as much as possible.

As the fights progress, Eric reenters the room and Four sees that disgusting smug smile on his face. He glances at Four and it's all Four can do to pull the corner of his mouth up in a half greeting. Her fight approaches and he sees Al move closer to her, which really sets off Four's emotions. As he wanders around the room, he nonchalantly moves in their direction and overhears Al saying, "Maybe just take a few hits and fall down. They might take mercy on you." Tris nods along but Four knows she is smart enough to know this would not be smart after what happened to Christina. He hears the others in the corner and glances over at Peter stretching and mouthing off to Drew and Molly about this upcoming fight. Four fights the urge to punch him in his smart-ass mouth.

The two enter the arena and Four is about ready to call it off. He pushes himself further away from the arena as he hears Peter begin to taunt Tris. "Alright there Stiff? It looks like you are going to cry." Four's back is up against the wall next to the door, pressing his body weight against it, fighting the urge to intervene. He knows this is just as much of a test for him as it is for Tris. Eric will be watching him to try to confirm his suspicions of Four having feelings for her. He pushes his body away from the wall and tries to attempt a casual stance but finds his body rigid as Peter's next taunt is spit at Tris. "C'mon Stiff. Just one little tear, maybe some begging." Four wants to tear him apart, silently rooting for a miracle, hoping Tris at least remembers to look for weaknesses. He knows Peter is lacking in that area but he is grasping at any hope she will make it out of this.

Eric seems amused as Tris is thrown to the ground after attempting to kick Peter in the side. Four realizes she is terrified and trying anything she can to get the first hit in. She is letting that fear take her over. 'Get up Tris! He won't be afraid to kick you down there!' Four screams in his head. "Stop playing with her," Eric demands, as Four clenches his fists.

He thought he was bracing himself but the first blow to Tris' head makes him step slightly forward. He roots his feet to the spot and refuses to take another step. As he watches, he can see Tris is disoriented. He watches her take a kick to the stomach and feels it in his own. Her breath is forced from her body as she crashes to the floor and he can barely bring any air into his lungs either. She struggles to her feet and he lets a small smile escape thinking, 'Smart girl, stay off the ground. Peter is all about the cheap shots.'

Peter wastes no time and Four barely has time to brace himself as Peter grabs Tris by the hair and punches her in the nose. He hears the bone crunch and pop while his nails cut into his palms from clenching them so hard. Before she can gather herself, Peter punches her in the ribs and smirks at Tris as he throws her to the ground. Four realizes she is barely conscious and would call this fight if Eric weren't here. She is stumbling but gets back to her feet. Peter doesn't hesitate and kicks her in the side causing her to stumble, her feet barely able to support her.

He can feel Eric's eyes on him as the fight continues. Four tries to keep his face neutral as Tris attempts a weak punch at Peter's stomach but when he slaps her across the face, the perfect mask drops. Eric must know now, if he didn't before, as Four storms out of the arena unable to watch the last moments of this fight. Just as the door closes, he hears her. A piercing scream that will haunt him forever. He knows he is the reason she had to endure that today.

He rushes all the way to Zeke's room, barging in without knocking. Zeke looks surprised as Four finds the punching bag in the closet and begins to smash his hands into it as hard as he can, imagining Peter and Eric's face as he pummels the bag. Zeke eventually pulls him off from it and pushes him on the couch. "What the hell man?" "Eric knows, or at least suspects. He made Tris fight Peter right now. She got the shit beat out of her and the worst part was I had to watch as if it wasn't affecting me. I had to watch him as he joyfully beat her into unconsciousness standing there like it was my job. What if she is permanently injured? You should have heard her scream Zeke, it was chilling. Peter definitely didn't hold back, he was enjoying every second of it, the sadistic son of a bitch." "Four, you've got to calm down. Eric is already suspicious which means you and Tris are in danger. You know he wants any excuse to throw you out. He is just as sadistic as Peter. Take a moment to calm down and then let's head to dinner. If he asks you can tell him you had to meet me and were late. It's a flimsy excuse but maybe he won't put any more thought into you leaving early." Four nodded his head, even though from the look on Eric's face he knew that Eric figured it out, and storming out didn't help.

They head to dinner and Four notices Christina, Will and Al come in without Tris. That must mean she is in the hospital, hopefully without too much damage. As he watches them sit down, Christina looks over at him and gives him a bitchy glare. She must think that was all in his plan, to have Tris beat up. After a few minutes of enduring her glares, Four walks over, grabs her and drags her out of the cafeteria. "What?!" Four demands of her. "Did you enjoy that? Or was it too boring for you since I saw you leave before she was fully unconscious? I know she acts tough but she hasn't been fighting her whole life. She didn't deserve that shit. What were you thinking?" Christina is in his face, not caring that Four is her superior. He admires how she defends her friend. "I have no power when it comes to Eric, he's the one who set up the fights today. What did you want me to do? If I had stopped him I would have been kicked out of Dauntless." "So you let her get the shit beat out her by Peter, a person who hates her and enjoyed every second of that, just to save your own skin? You're pathetic. At least she finally woke up so Peter didn't get what he wanted." Christina turns and walks away from Four. He wished he could tell her it was to save Tris but that would raise too many questions. He breathed a sigh of relief in finding out Tris was awake.

Four decides he is no longer hungry and finds his feet leading him to the infirmary. He sneaks in and sees Tris lying on her bed asleep. He quietly walks over and assesses the damage. Her face is bruised all over and her side is bandaged up. He checks if anyone is around and when he sees no one he very gently glides his hand over her cheek where the lump has already formed from Peter's slap. Four decides he is going to come back later that night to talk with Tris. Even though it is a dangerous choice, he feels like the only way to move forward is to be honest with why he left early.

* * *

When he returns late that night, he finds her bed empty, realizing she went back to the dorm. He knows she did it to look strong and not allow Peter any more power than he has, but the thought of her in the same room as him again makes him sick to his stomach. Knowing he isn't going to get any sleep tonight, he heads up the ladder to the glass room. Maybe some time in his own fears will help him move past the idea of her in that room with a monster.


	7. Chapter 7: Fire

Four wanted to reschedule the field trip but Eric insisted. He realized from here on out, his life was going to be miserable. Eric wasn't going to go easy with the knowledge he had. Four was going to have to be very careful and keep a closer eye on Tris. He didn't need anything else happening to her because of his lack of self-control.

He was waiting on the platform as the initiates began to arrive. He saw Al and Will join the group but couldn't find her or Christina. Either they weren't coming, which would be a horrible choice, or they were still on their way. The train was about 5 minutes away, hopefully they hurried or they would miss it. He stepped as close to the tracks as possible, trying to clear his head of thoughts of Tris. As the train approached, he stepped back to allow the initiates to get on first. He saw Christina and Tris, limply horribly, burst out of the door onto the platform just as the train was coming through. He pulled himself on the train, needing space otherwise he would grab her and never let her go.

He can see her struggling to get on the train and before he can react, Al reaches out, grabs her and hauls her in. Just as he is thinking he is going to have to teach that kid some personal boundaries, he realizes Tris' personal space isn't his to protect. He hears Peter sneer, "Feeling a little…._Stiff?_" at her and he bites down the urge to push him out the door. They continue to bicker back and forth until his self-control can't take it anymore. "Am I going to have to listen to your bickering all the way to the fence?" he growls. Everyone quiets down and Four grabs both handles and leans out of the train, never looking down, just trying to clear his head of the image of Tris huddled in the back of the train all bruised and broken.

He can feel her eyes on him, burning a hole in his back. He ignores it but wonders what she thinks of him this morning. Does she hate him for allowing that fight to happen? As he is thinking, he hears Christina and Tris hypothesize about what is beyond the fence. When Christina answers Tris' question of what is beyond the fence with "Monsters" he can't help but smile.

They reach their destination and Four feels the train begin to slow. He and the initiates all jump off as it slows to make the turn back toward the city and Four leads them toward the gate. He sees Tris stick close to Christina and wonders who she is more scared of, him or Peter? Four turns to address them all, "If you don't rank in the top five at the end of initiation, you will probably end up here. Once you are a fence guard, there is some potential for advancement, but not much. You may be chosen to go on patrols beyond the Amity farms but-" "What would be the purpose of that?" Will cuts him off. "I wouldn't know, I wasn't ranked that low. I suppose you will find out if you are." "What rank were you?" Peter shouts out. Four gives him a hard stare, to let him know he is no match for him. "I was ranked first." "And you chose to do this? What? Couldn't get a higher job?" "I didn't want one." With that Four walked away and headed toward the gate. It was all he could do not to kick that kid in the face.

As the gates open, an Amity truck was waiting outside but Four takes no notice of it. The initiates clamber out the opening doors, some of them getting their first sight of what is outside the fence, which is lackluster at best. He hears a worker from the truck call out and turns to see him addressing Tris. "Beatrice?" He sees her turn with recognition in her face but the wary kind, not wanting to appear too attached to the past. The boy jumps from the truck and wraps her up in a hug and Four has to watch another man hold her in his arms. He grits his teeth and turns away but his ears are focused on their conversation.

"Beatrice? What happened? Are you alright?" Her response is quiet but then Four hears Molly's loud mouth break through, "Beatrice? Is that your real name?" He starts to turn to tell her off but Tris beats him to it. "What did you think Tris was short for?" "Weakling?" Molly laughs as she joins Drew and Peter. They must be sharing the joke because he hears cackling coming from their group of three. Four's focus is back on the boy. He tried to introduce himself to Molly with no avail before he turns back to Tris. "They don't seem like nice people Beatrice, are you happy? You could probably go home if you want, Abnegation would take you back." Four turns knowing Tris' face holds more than her words. Her look drips with acid, "What makes you think I want to go back? I chose this. My main goal in life isn't just to be….happy." Four sees Robert back away and jump back into the truck and Tris storm, as fast as she is able to, back toward the gate. He imagines a different world where Tris and Robert are married because that is how it works in Abnegation Four assumes Robert is from Abnegation and transferred. A guard asks him a question and he quickly answers it before stepping close to Tris.

"You seem to have a knack for making unwise decisions." Four lets some of his jealousy get the best of him and confronts her. Tris crosses her arms and that familiar fire dances in her eyes. "I spoke to him for two minutes." "It's not the length you spent talking." Four can't help himself, he is far from Eric's eyes and his hand moves before his brain can react. He finds himself brushing her eye where it is bruised, sad that he couldn't stop that from happening. Her breath hitches and he can't make himself remove his hand. This is the first contact they have had since he helped her with her fighting stance. "You know, if you attacked first, you might do better."

Tris responds quickly, "Attack first? How will that help? I tried with Peter but…." "You're fast, you just let your fear take over. If you relax and get in a few good hits, you could win." He knows he has to move now or he is going to take this physical contact further than he should. He lets his hand fall away and starts to walk away when she says, "I'm surprised you know that. My fight didn't seem very entertaining to you, since you left half way through."

Tobias takes in a deep breath; he didn't realize she saw him leave. Now, not only does she think he set her up to lose, but that he was bored with watching her struggle. He leaned in close and whispered, "It wasn't something I wanted to watch." He walked away and yelled over his shoulder, "Next train is coming, time to go Tris." He sees her walk over to Christina to get on the train and he moves ahead a car, needing to be alone. That was as close as he's let himself get to her and the feeling of their touch and her amazing smell had him all in a daze. It was all he could do to stop himself from kissing her when that fire flashed in her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8: Wheels

**Sorry this one took a little longer to be put up. I didn't realize how long the Ferris wheel chapter was in the book. I am been working hard for two days trying to get it right. I'll upload three chapters tomorrow to make up for it:) Feel free to review!**

* * *

Four was glad the next day when he entered the combat room and saw no sign of Eric. He must be giving him back control after the stunt he pulled two days ago. Four set up the fights and gave Tris the easiest opponent since she was still moving very slowly. Myra was not much of a fighter and even if she hit Tris it wouldn't do much damage. Four took some time to practice himself on the punching bag before he took a shower and cleaned up for that morning's training session.

The initiates filed in and he saw a sign of relief on her face when Tris saw Myra's name next to hers. When she made eye contact with him, he attempted a small smile but she looked away quickly, still not having forgiven him for the fight against Peter. As they entered the ring, he saw what a toll it was still taking on her body, the slight limp in her walk, the stiff movement of her neck and the bruises that were still covering her body. As he predicted, Tris easily won the fight, Myra only throwing a few punches before falling to the ground from Tris' first few punches. She looked so exhausted and after her fight slumped on the side near Christina. Knowing what was coming tonight, Four wished he could let her sleep but knew that wouldn't be an option for her.

* * *

Dressing in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and his black hoodie, Four headed to meet up with Eric in the pit later that night. When he arrived, he saw Eric had recruited Shauna and Jared to join on the field trip tonight. "These two are going to help even out the teams since we have an odd number. Shauna will be with you and Jared will be with me. Let's head to the dorms." They arrive at the dorms and Four turns on his flashlight ready to give the initiates a little scare. They enter the room and turn on their beams, startling some of the initiates awake. Four casually slides himself in line with Tris' bed in case anyone decides to wake them up with force. Eric shouts, "Everyone up!" and they watch the others wake up disoriented, scrambling out of bed. "Are you deaf stiff? Get up!" Eric shouts and Four glances Tris' way, so badly wanting to go over to her and explain what is happening, to wipe the look of terror off her face. As he watches her stumble out of bed, he notices she sleeps fully clothed as he did when he first arrived here. His 18 year old brain takes over, wanting to wrap her up in his arms and lie in bed with her. As he watches them all scramble to get dressed, he is brought back to the night of his first paintball fight.

* * *

_Four is woken up to shouting, "Get up newbies, get out of bed!" He scrambles out of bed, glad he sleeps fully clothed. He notices some of the initiates don't and he feels a blush take over his face. As Shauna jumps out of bed in a skimpy t-shirt and her underwear, Four notices her glance at him with a sly smile on her face, knowing fully well why his face is beat red. "Like what you see stiff?" she jokes. Zeke also is out of his bed and Four finds out he sleeps fully nude which causes the blush to continue down his neck._

_The counselors tell them they have 10 minutes to get dressed and meet them on the train platform, "If any of you are late and miss the train, feel free to leave the compound immediately." Four rushes to get his shoes on and heads for the door, only to be shoved into the corner by Eric as he pushes past him. Zeke helps him up and they head to the platform._

_They are broken into two teams, Four is with Amar and Eric is with Tori. Four's only goal tonight is to beat Eric and show him once and for all that he is better than him. His team jumps off first and runs to the end of the pier, strategizing where they should hide their flag. As they all bicker, Amar stands back assessing the situation. Four finally speaks over the rest, stating that they should hide it on the carousel because the bright colors of the rides will help camouflage the flag's bright orange color. Amar looks at him respectively and everyone follows suit. After hiding the flag under the bench seat, everyone turns to Four for directions on how to proceed._

_Four becomes uncomfortable with the attention and turns to Amar. "You seem to have a handle on strategizing, what do you suggest we do next?" Four stares blankly until he realizes they need to find out where the other flag is. "Let's send out two scouts, your job is to defend each other but if one is spotted and hit the other should come back here immediately instead of engaging. If you find where the flag is, come back and we will head out in two teams, one as a distraction, one to retrieve the flag." Amar nods along and sends out Zeke and Leslie . The rest of them lie in wait hidden around their flag. Amar is next to Four and asks him what he thinks the purpose of this exercise is. "I believe it's to develop teamwork and strategy planning. A good leader and protector has to have both." "You have quite a lot of promise Four, it's hard to believe you came from Abnegation." Four swells with pride but realizes he may be letting his divergence show too much. Amar is eyeing him slightly and he realizes he should be careful how he proceeds in the future. Four turns to look at the Ferris wheel as they wait, finding it hard to believe people used to ride that for fun. Amar notices his attention on the wheel, "Would you have ridden that when it was operational?" Four blanches at the question, tilting his head to see the very top. "Not even if someone threatened my life." Four let out a small laugh that sounded slightly strained. "Heights bother you too? It's amazing we can function in Dauntless isn't it." Four gave Amar a surprised look, he hadn't met anyone else from Dauntless that had a fear of heights. "Some days are harder than others." Amar smiled, "Wait until you we start round 2, you are going to love the glass room." _

_Before Four could ask, he heard Zeke join their group. "They got Leslie, but I know where their flag is. They have it tucked in an abandoned restaurant's fake palm tree. Good hiding place for something bright green but I could see it blinking." Everyone turned back to Four and he split up the groups, keeping Zeke and Amar with him and sending the rest around the left side to distract the group. The three boys snuck up and saw that Eric and Shauna were guarding the flag. Looking at Zeke, Four communicated silently that he would take out Eric and Zeke would take out Shauna. They crept around the building, staying in the shadows. Four positioned himself with his gun aiming on Eric's chest, looked quickly at Zeke who gave him a thumbs up and they fired simultaneously eliminating both people guarding the flag. Four and Zeke ran up and grabbed the flag together letting out a loud whoop. The last thing Four saw was Eric's furious face as he threw his gun into the swamp and stormed off._

* * *

Four snaps out of his daze and noticed that something was happening between Tris and Eric. She stood in her pajamas, that weren't that concealing, staring Eric down. Four couldn't believe how brave she was to do that while wearing barely anything. She was becoming more Dauntless every day. Eric broke the contact, barking at the initiates, "Five minutes! Be at the tracks or leave." He turned and stormed out.

As we were waiting on the tracks for them, Four saw Eric pacing like he was ready to murder someone. He realized he was going to have to remind Tris not to push him too far and might have to pick her to keep her safe from Eric. He knew this would add more suspicion towards them but he would rather have that than Eric have a free shot at her while Four wasn't around.

The initiates arrive and Eric tells everyone to grab a gun and line up for the train. Four watches Tris hesitantly grab a gun and knows she is very unsure of what is happening. He also sees her throw a glance in Peter's direction and step between Will, Christina, and Al. Eric turns to Four, "Timetable on the train?" Four laughs and asks, "When are you going to memorize the train schedule yourself Eric?" Eric just glares at him, and Four answers by pointing at the light approaching him. Little does Eric know, Four has the schedule memorized so well because he had planned on using them at one point to leave Dauntless before a small blonde girl changed his mind.

As the train approaches, Four slides his gun across his shoulder, jogs alongside and jumps on. He turns around to see Tris right behind him and can't resist. He sticks out his arm and she grabs his hand. He easily lifts her onto the train, after almost dropping her from the shock running up his arm at her touch. He smiles inwardly, happy Al isn't the one to help this time and watches as she releases his hand immediately after getting on the train and rushes to the back corner. He wonders if she felt the electricity as well from their touch.

"We'll be dividing up in two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have 6 members, dauntless-born and transfers split up equally. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag then the second team will do the same down the line. This is a tradition, take it seriously," Four speaks to the group.

When someone asks what they get if they win, Four and Eric are on the same page for the first time in their lives. They look at each other with a smirk and then glare at the person asking. Four responds first, "Sounds like a questions someone who isn't from Dauntless would ask. You get to win." Even the Dauntless born initiates give him the look of 'how stupid can you be?' Eric doesn't even ask Four who should choose first, knowing this is coming from the two years Four has beat him at capture the flag.

"Edward." Four notices the fire leave Tris' eyes and sees the defeat on her face thinking she will be chosen last. Four knows he has to pick her not only to keep her away from Eric but just so he can focus on the game. He also knows Eric is going to use this against him at some point but he has already made up his mind.

"I want the stiff." Four strategically used the slang for her as to not appear too attached and kept his body language casual, leaning against the train door as if this was a bore for him. People start to snicker and he has to take a deep breath to stop himself from yelling at them as he watches her face fall and blush. She gives him a glare and walks over to his side of the train. Eric continues the embarrassment by asking, "Got something to prove? Or are you picking the weak ones so you have someone to blame it on?" "Something like that," Four responds vaguely knowing exactly how Eric is going to play this game and how Four is going to win it. Capture the flag isn't about brute strength, which has always been Eric's strategy, but speed and brains.

They continue to pick teams and Four ends up with Christina, Will and Drew from the transfers as well as Uriah, Marlene and Shauna to round out his team. After picking, Eric tells Four his team can get off second but Four just laughs, realizing Eric wants to be by the Ferris wheel since Four has won both years by starting there but it's not going to happen. "Don't do me any favors." Eric gives Four a hard look before moving from the door so Four's team can jump. As the train approaches, he watches Al give Tris a sad puppy dog look that they aren't on the same team and he found a third benefit to picking Tris, keeping her apart from that oaf. He sees Tris walk over to the door to get ready to jump and watches as Peter reaches a hand up to try to shove her out. Thankfully she had her feet firmly planted and was able to stay in the car. Four gives the signal and his team jumps from the train, not after he gives Peter a swift kick to the shin as he jumps. He hears Peter let out a curse as he flies through the air.

They all join up after exiting the train and Marlene approaches him. "So Four, where did you put the flag when your team won?" She bats her eyes at him and he just turns away and addresses the whole group. "Why would I tell you that? It would defeat the purpose of this exercise." Marlene steps closer to him and places her hand on his arm and says in a sickly sweet voice, "Just tell us Four." He looks her square in the eyes, removes her hand from his arm and turns to the group. As he does, he notices a grin on Tris' face and hopes it's because he brushed off Marlene's arm. Before he could ask what their strategy is, Uriah blurts out, "On Navy Pier at the carousel. My brother was in the group with Four." Four scowls at him and will have to remember to tell Zeke to shut him up. The group decides to head toward the carousel and as they are running he sees Tris glance toward Erudite headquarters. Four wonders her attachment could be to that building.

The group stops and Four addresses them, "In ten minutes the other team will pick their location. We need to formulate a strategy, because mental preparedness is important for all Dauntless as we are the protectors of the city. Many believe it is the most important." Four pulls out the orange flag and hands it to Will, stepping back and sitting on the carousel, letting the group talk and his eyes drift to the sky. At these moments, out of the compound without any eyes watching him, Four feels the most free.

As he's sitting there, he can't help but smirk at the lack of organization as the initiates scramble for control and their voice to be heard. He noticed one voice was missing and thought maybe she was letting her Abnegation show by having others talk first. As he glanced around, he saw a small figure heading away from the group, toward the Ferris wheel. Four paled slightly at the thought of the wheel but decides he should follow her. He checks that the others are fine, slowing finding voices to listen to and ones to ignore. Four gets up and casually heads over toward the wheel, seeing Tris check if the others are watching her and then sizes up the Ferris wheel. He sees her grab a rung and tests it with her weight. As she pulls her body up on the first rung, Four sees the wince left over from her fight with Peter. He steps closer to her and whispers her name, hoping he won't make her jump. "Tris." She doesn't even flinch and turns to look him square in the eyes. "What are you doing?" "I'm seeking higher ground; I don't _think _I'm doing anything." She turns away from him and continues to climb. Four shakes his head at her sassy response and grabs the rung below her. He takes a deep breath to steady his fear, realizing Tris must be really special if he is facing this fear for her. "All right, I'm coming."

She throws a dirty look back at him and responds, "I'll be fine!" "Undoubtedly." He responds honestly, never doubting her ability for a second. The funny part was that he wasn't sure if he was going to be fine but he climbed anyway. He wasn't going for her sake, he was going for his, regardless of his fears. He realized he couldn't let her climb to her death.

"So tell me, what do you think the purpose of this exercise is? The game, not the climbing?" He mostly asked to fill the silence of being many feet off the ground, but is also feeling her out for possible divergence, this Ferris wheel stunt was out of the realm of thinking for Dauntless. He remembered Amar at that moment and felt a small pain at the loss of his instructor.

Tris looked down and her worried face showed how high they were off the ground which in turn made Four's stomach flip flop. She looked away from the ground and set her eyes on the platform above them, Four sighing in relief that he won't have to climb the whole wheel. She finally answers his question. "Learning about strategy, it's important when working to protect someone or something. And maybe teamwork too?" Four stops the laugh from slipping out that he knows will sound like hysteria. This left a small smirk on his mouth that Tris interpreted as her answer being wrong.

"Maybe not, it doesn't seem like a dauntless trait," she responds. Four is sad at the thought of how his faction has changed in the past two years. "It's supposed to be, it used to be," he said. Four thinks about what drew him to Dauntless from Abnegation and realizes that is what it was and why he was so eager to leave before Tris. Watching them all together, he knew that if this were his faction, Marcus would never be able to lay a hand on him again. Sadly, the faction has drifted from that ideal of working together and protecting one another to thinking of one self and proving individual bravery.

As he's thinking, he notices Tris shaking slightly and her hand almost misses the rung. He hand immediately leaves the rung it's on in case he has to help her but she adjusts herself. "What do you think this has to do with bravery?" Tris thinks a moment and her answer drifts down to him. "It prepares you to act quickly and learn strategy you might need in a situation where your body may normally shut down." As she says this she looks down at him and gives him a curious look. "Are you ok Four?" He can't understand how she is so calm. "Are you human Tris? This doesn't scare you at all?" Her eyes scan the ground and he closes his eyes at the thought of how far away that is. He opens his eyes as a breeze presses against his face and he hears her gasp. Her arms cling to the rungs as her foot slips. Without thinking, Four presses his hand to her hip, fingers slipping under the fabric of her shirt. He steadies her as she adjusts her feet and it's all he can do to hang on. The feeling of her skin on his caught him off guard. He steadies her but seems to have lost his breath. Tris sounds out of breath too but Four assumes it is from falling but hoping it's from more.

"You ok?" he asks as he quickly removes his hand. She replies with a strained, "yes," and continues to climb. As she reaches the platform, Four sees her slide over to make room for him. He pulls himself up and sits at the back, as far away from the edge as possible. Tris examines his movements for a minute before exclaiming, "You're afraid of heights! How do you survive in the compound?" She looked at him in amazement, which stopped him from his usual denial he gave other Dauntless members. "I ignore the fear, pretend it doesn't exist when I make decisions." Again, the look of awe she gave him made him realize he wanted to share all his secrets with her. She didn't give him the look of pity that people normally did when they found out who he was and where he was from. There was a glint of something else in her eye as well, something he felt he mirrored in his feelings for her but Four couldn't be sure. He could feel the wheels set into motion, at this moment, there was no going back on his feelings for her.

Tris then concentrates on studying the landscape and Four winces when he hears her say, "We aren't high enough. I'm going to climb." "For god's sake Stiff!" He couldn't help his outburst of emotions at the thought of going any higher. She smirked and said, "You don't have to follow me." Four loyally stood up, "Yes I do." They began to climb and Four saw some panic in her as they reached the highest they could climb. He forgot his own fear, his only goal was to help calm her down. He waited for her to prop herself up on the bars and them climbed up behind her. "See that?" Four turned his head in the direction she was pointing, looking right over her shoulder. He realized if he leaned forward half an inch her entire body would be pressing against his and it took all his willpower to not close that gap.

Four moved his head slightly so his chin was next to her head, breathed in her scent, and heard her shallow breath. It must be from the height but he knew why his breath was shallow and hoped hers was from the same reason. "I see the flag." As she analyzed the situation he realized how brilliant this girl was and how much more it made him like her. "It's coming from the park at the end of the pier. It figures, Eric was smart. The flag is surrounded by open space but the trees provide camouflage. It won't be easy to get." She looked over her shoulder to gauge his reaction and gasped, she must not have realized Four's face was so close. His body was screaming for contact but he refused to give in. She looks nervous at first, studying his face as Four studied hers. He notices how her mouth curved down just like his and her eyes were much fiercer up-close. He knew if they didn't move soon, he was going to lose the last scrap of self-control he was holding on so tightly too. "We should start climbing down. I'll follow you," she says as if reading his mind.

Four's hands are shaking from many reasons at this point, but he starts to make his way down, listening to Tris' descent for any problems. He hears the bar creak before she has time to react, followed by her screaming out his name, "Four!" His eyes meet hers as the bar gives away and she is dangling from the scaffolding.

Four has two choices, try to climb up and risk falling himself, or going to the ground and seeing if this thing moves. Four sees her trying to calm herself down. "Hold on! I have an idea, just hold on!"

Four climbs down as fast as he can, a new fear taking the place of heights right now. He can't lost her, not like this. The Ferris wheel better work. As he reaches the ground he hears her yell, "Four!" louder and more strained. He wrenches open the control panel and searches for the button that will get this to move. He punches it and prays that the ancient thing still works. The wheel groans to life and as it begins moving, he hears her scream. His eyes search for her and thankfully see her still holding on. There is nothing else Four can do so now he waits in agony as the wheel rotates very slowly. As she gets closer to the ground, he realizes if she doesn't jump off at the right time, she will be crushed by the cars. Just as he is going to warn her, he sees her eyes calculating the exact same thing. He holds his breath and she times her release, drops to the ground, and rolls out of the way narrowly missed by the car. His breath forces its' way out of his body and he rushes over to her.

He finds her wrapped up on the ground with her hands covering her face. Four slowly pries them off and looks deep into her eyes. "You all right?" He holds her hands between his, rubbing them to help with the shock. It feels so right to hold her and he wishes he had the right to wrap his arms around her. She mumbles a "yeah" and they both begin to laugh out of sheer terror at what they just survived. As Four watches her laugh, his body surges with fire as her laughter fills him. He realizes how close he is to her yet again and the space between them feels charged.

Four stands and pulls her up with him from the ground. As the wind tosses her hair, she has never been more beautiful, the fear flushing her cheeks and laughter still dancing in her eyes. "You could have told me the Ferris wheel worked. We wouldn't have had to climb it." "I didn't know until you were hanging there. I took a risk." He realizes they have to get back to the group, but not wanting to let go of her quite yet, he grabs her arm and begins to walk with her. All he wants to do right now is grab her face and kiss her but the moment has passed, if it was ever there. Tris attempts to keep up next to him, limping along as he slightly slows his pace.

Four sees Christina and Shauna sitting on the carousel alone. "Where did the others go?" Four asks. He's full of energy, coming from the contact with Tris. Shauna ignores his question and yells at him, "Did you turn the wheel on? You just gave away our position! I don't want to lose for a third year in a row, that's why I volunteered for your team Four!" "None of that matters. Due to your fellow initiate's quick thinking we know where they are." Four gestured to Tris who seemed to stand prouder as he acknowledged her accomplishments. "We?" Four turned and saw jealously from Christina and Tris' pride diminish slightly. He was too far in to let anyone insult her now, not caring who saw him stand up for her. Four responds to Christina, "Yes, while the rest of you were twiddling your thumbs, Tris climbed the Ferris wheel to look for the other team." Everyone turned and stared at her in amazement, some of the Dauntless born showing some more respect for her. They recognized, more than the transfers, what an act of true bravery was.

"What do we do now?" someone asked. Everyone turns to Tris, and Four follows suit giving her the respect she deserves. She straightens even more under the scrunty, which makes Four swell with pride. "We will split up, four will go to the right and three to the left. The group of four will charge and draw their attention as the three will sneak behind for the flag. It's hidden up in the trees to provide more cover." Four sees more resentment in Christina's eyes as Tris takes over command and he hopes for Tris' sake that it will blow over.

Tris breaks the groups up brilliantly although Four was sad she didn't pick him to join her. He knows why and realizes yet again his feelings are clouding his judgment. She chose Christina and Uriah who are quick and small, easy to move around while still avoiding detection. Eric would be watching extra close for Four so it's a good thing he is exposing himself to the group.

They all take off running with Four's group going to the right and Tris' group going to the left. Four gives her one last glance as the building separates them and enjoys watching her sprint, looking very carefree. He remembers the first time he was able to run after leaving Abnegation and it is a freeing feeling. As Four's group rounds the corner, he notices Eric's group lounging around not putting much effort into the game. This was how he lost the two previous years and Four isn't surprised he hasn't changed. Eric doesn't believe he has to put effort into it when he picks what he feels is a superior team. Fours group slows and then bursts out from the shadows when they all gather together. Eric's group sees them but can't respond quick enough due to their guns being on the ground. Three of the eight are disabled before anyone can shoot. Eric's pellets whiz over Four's head and he smirks. Eric never changes. Four slides behind a large rock and hears Eric rushing him. He waits until the last moment, stands, and shoots. Eric's chest is dotted with pellets and Four rushes past him.

As the team is finished off, he sees the other group slip through the trees and watches as Tris attempts to grab the flag. Sadly he watches as the new Dauntless qualities take over and instead of helping the teammate who devised the entire plan, Christina reaches over her head and grabs the flag before Tris. He sees her say something and it must have been bad because Tris turns and walks away. Amar would never have allowed that and if Eric weren't here, Four would have talked with Christina in front of the group. Unfortunately Eric was a supporter of every man for himself, so that wouldn't go over so well, especially since he lost.

Four finds Tris off to the side and walks over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder out of comfort. She looks up at him, slightly deflated from Christina's betrayal and he again wants to wrap her up in his arms to protect her. "Well done." He gives her a warm smile after whispering in her ear and walks off.

As they get back on the train, Four sees the silver lining of Christina's betrayal. Eric's team is giving her nasty looks due to her outsmarting their team and Tris is accepted by the Dauntless born which will provide her more protection when Four isn't around. He sees Uriah sidle up next to her and coat her face in paint as he plays with a paintball. He proceeds to coat his mouth as well and Four happily watches Tris laugh with them, some of the weight lifting off her shoulders, but wishing he could sit and be carefree with her. Maybe they will get a chance in the near future. Of course, Four is going to have to have a talk with Uriah about keeping his distance.


	9. Chapter 9: Bravery

Four should have let him win. He seemed to move past the Tris issue but Four's pride had to get in the way and now all the transfers were going to be punished. He entered the training room after his morning run to find Eric setting up the knives. These were the most useless aspect of training in Four's eyes but Eric insisted after taking over. Four didn't say a word as he took some practice shots with the rifles before cleaning up and heading over near Eric. Honestly, he was hoping Eric would leave but sadly he realized he was observing or leading the lesson today.

"Remember when we learned about these? What did Amar say about them, the most useless tool a man could wield. As I recall, it was the one thing the mighty Four couldn't master in 20 seconds." Eric was attempting to intimidate Four but in reality all he was doing was revealing how insecure he was around Four. Without saying a word, Four walked over, grabbed three knives and threw them toward the board. All three hit dead center. Four glanced at Eric, "I guess some things take a little longer to perfect." He walked over and grabbed the knives knowing full well he was exposing himself to Eric's anger so close to the knives. Luckily he was saved by the initiates entering the room. He turned to see Eric fuming and Four smirked as he walked toward the back of the crowd. If Eric loved knives so much, he could take the lead today.

"Tomorrow is the last day of stage one. You will complete the last of your fights then but today you will be learning how to aim. Pick up your knives. Pay attention as Four demonstrates the correct technique for throwing knives." No one moved which caused Eric to yell, "Now!" Four let another smirk slip at Eric's lack of self control. How he was chosen to lead this faction was beyond him. Well actually he remembers that day very clearly.

* * *

_Four was just announced as Number One of their initiate group and was congratulated by Max and a few other leaders he had never seen. Of course, not everyone was happy and he could feel Eric behind him spewing hate to anyone who would listen. "That stiff thinks he can waltz in here and take over? I'll show him." Four knew his threats were empty, no matter what Eric tried to do he would be protected. He made sure of that when he chose whom he stayed friends with. Four was also very careful and observant of his surroundings at all times. _

_It was the next day and Four was a little groggy from all the partying but as he was called into Max's office to chose his job his head was clear on his choice. He knew Amar had requested that he be streamlined into leadership but Four didn't want it. Leadership meant working with other factions and that was the last thing on his list. As a leader you had to be an open book and Four's was locked very tight, never letting anything escape about who he really was. "Have a seat Four. Well you did it, Amar spoke very highly of you. What is your choice? He recommended we set you up on the road to leadership. Is that something you envision for yourself?" Four pretended like he was thinking really hard about it and answered hesitantly. He had practiced with Zeke knowing he couldn't completely turn this down without suspicion. "Well Max, you know some of my history and I believe it wouldn't be in Dauntless' best interest to have me working with other factions. I really enjoy computers and training so I would rather work in the control room and training initiates." Max seemed shocked but moved forward with it. "If that is what you are aiming for, go for it. Just know I am really disappointed you won't be working with us. After everything Amar said about your results, not to mention your impressive fear landscape scores, you are exactly what we are looking for. Just know the position is yours if you ever want it." With that Four walked out of his office to find himself face to face with Eric. He knew if it was offered to him, Eric would grab the leadership role in a heartbeat. Maybe Four should take it just to keep it from Eric but he knew, deep down, if he ever were asked to visit Abnegation, he would not be able to control himself in the manner befitting a leader._

* * *

Four feels Eric's poisonous glance as he walked up to the targets. He knows he pushed him really far earlier with the knives, especially after beating him so badly last night. Four could feel everyone's eyes on him, especially Tris'. He had become attuned to her stare. He holds his arm steady, adjusts his stance so it's perfect, focuses not on the middle of the board but the whole thing. Having too much tunnel vision can cause a person to become tense. As he throws, hitting the middle each time, he exhales feeling tension leave his body. Eric doesn't enjoy seeing him throw perfectly again, Four assumes a little part of him wished he would mess up in front of the initiates but he is perfect every time.

"Line up!" Eric barks again. Everyone scrambles for a spot as Eric paces behind them like a caged animal. He notices Tris practing her stance and throw before even handling a knife. Smart girl, but unfortunately Peter notices and Four is tempted to let a knife slip when he hears him snidely say, "I think the stiff's taken too many hits to the head! Remember what a knife is stiff?" Surprisingly Tris ignores him and Four watches her closer. She picks up a knife, finds the balance in her hand, sets her stance, and lets the knife fly. Although it doesn't stick, she is the first person to hit the board and Four can't stop the smile on his face. The smile widens when Four hears her say, "Remember what a target is?" to Peter. This girl has fire in her.

As Four watches the initiates, they are all getting the grasp of throwing the knives except Al. He fumbles with them, weakly throws them, and hasn't hit the target yet. Eric notices and zeros in on him. Four moves closer to intervene is possible but realizes Al needs to step it up. "Candor, how slow are you? Do you need glasses? Should I move the target closer to you?" Four feels he should step in when Al throws another knife and it clatters to the floor. Four realizes he is the opposite of Tris, she wakes up in the face of fear and challenges, but Al shuts down.

At this point, everyone has stopped as Eric yells. "What was that initiate?" Al unwisely responds, "It slipped." Eric, being the bully he always is, insists, "Well then go get it." Four realizes what he means and knows he should step in but not when Eric is in this type of mood. He stands back to see how this is going to unfold. Eric turns to everyone else and snaps, "Did I tell you all to stop?" People start throwing again and Four turns back to see Al grow a backbone at the exact wrong time. "Go get it?" Al asks. "But everyone's still throwing!" Eric just stares at him. "I don't want to get hit." Al remarks. "I think you can trust your fellow initiates to aim better than you. Go….get….your….knife." Eric stands his ground and again Four wants to smack Al for talking back. "No." "Why not, are you afraid?" 'Walk away Al, you won't win this,' Four thinks. "Yes, I do fear getting stabbed by an airborne knife." Honesty was his biggest mistake.

Eric smirks and then screams, "Everyone stop! Clear out of the ring, except you." He motions at Al. "Stand in front of the target." Al shakes as he walks there. Four knows what is coming next, he grits his teeth waiting for it. "Four, help me out." 'So that is how it's going to be,' Four thinks, 'I beat you at capture the flag and you make me throw knives at my initiates.' Four steps up looking bored, hoping to diffuse the situation. "Is this really necessary?" Eric turns and stares at Four and Four stares back. "Well since I have the authority here, yes I do think it is."

Four realizes neither he nor Al are getting out of this. He just hopes the big oaf can stand there long enough to appease Eric. As he grabs his knives he hears her intake of breath making him realize he has another thing other than Al to worry about. 'Keep your mouth shut Tris, he isn't worth it.' Four thinks. As he steps up to the line, he hears her and winces. "Stop!" She pushes her way out of the crowd. Her eyes meet Four's and he gives her a hard look, telling her to shut her mouth. She turns toward Eric, "Any idiot can stand in front of a target, bullying doesn't prove anything." Eric turns toward Four and raises his eyebrow and turns back to Tris, knowing full well this is going to be hell for Four. "Well then you won't have a problem taking his place."

She takes his place and Four has no idea how he got into this situation. His eyes meet her's and she stares back at him intensely, showing complete trust in him. Four looks down at the knives in his hands and takes a deep breath. He sees her tilt her chin up, showing her bravery to everyone watching. Four sets his stance and then knows what he needs to do to protect her, wake her up. "If you flinch, Al takes your place." He says slowly carefully, appealing to her Abnegation side. She nods slightly and Four sees her eyes harden even more. Four lifts his hand, pulls his elbow back, and visualizes the board to her right and releases. The knife hits the board near her cheek. Wanting to keep her on edge where she performs her best, he goads her more. "You about done stiff?" "No," she answers defiantly burning him with her gaze. "Eyes open then," Four says as he taps his forehead. Tris' eyes connect there and he launches the second knife just above her head. "Come on Stiff, let someone else stand there and take it." "Shut up Four!" she yells at him. Four may have gone too far but now he needs to convince himself he can do what needs to be done. Eric is not going to end this until she is bleeding and he needs to be strategic. Just enough to satisfy him.

Four raises the last knife and stares her down, trying to apologize in advance for what he was about to do. It was necessary and he wished he didn't have to. He checks his stance, evens his breathing, visualizes the area for the knife, and releases. He hears her and the entire room gasp as blood runs down Tris' ear. Eric smiles and states, "I'd love to stay and see if the rest of you are as daring but I think that's enough for today." He walks over to Tris, grabs her shoulder in approval and strides out of the room followed by everyone but her. Four releases the breath he never holds and looks up at her. She is furious and headed toward him. "Is you-" "You did that on purpose!" she screams. "Yes I did, and you should thank me for helping you."

"Thank you? You almost stabbed my ear and you spent the entire time taunting me! What thanks do you deserve?" Four turned and glared at her, unable to comprehend how she doesn't understand how much danger she was just in. "You know I'm getting a little tired of waiting for you to catch on!" He backs away, close to saying things that can't be taken back. She, of course, pursues as is natural for her. "Catch on to what? That you wanted to prove to Eric how tough you are? That you're sadistic just like him!" That was Four's limit, he was nothing like Eric and it killed him to have her thinking that way. "I am not sadistic," he said in an even tone, "If I wanted to hurt you, don't you think I would have already?" Four can't look at her and storms out of the room after slamming a knife down so hard it sticks upright. He may have feelings for her but after hearing that all he can think about is every time his mother confronted his father and said those same words. Four wanted to check her ear but now was not the time. As he walked down the hallway he hears her scream out in frustration and he wants to do the same.


	10. Chapter 10: Vendetta

This is the last day of fighting and Four has no idea who he is going to pair against Tris. She needs a boost in her rankings but can't afford to get beat. He is still deciding as they all file in and huddle around the board looking for their name. He hears Christina ask where Tris was and Four immediately gets worried that something happened to her. He briefly looks over his shoulder but finds she is intact so he returns his focus to the board.

He mentally scrolls through all the opponents who have a high enough rank to boost Tris' score but a low enough skill level to not repeat what Peter so brutally accomplished. Finally he determined there was no other person and wrote Molly next to Tris' name. They were last, hopefully giving her enough time to prepare mentally. Four turns and walks to the other side of the room to watch Will and Myra's fight. As he leans on the wall, he can't help but stifle a yawn from his late shift in the control room last night. No one could cover for him so he had to take it and he was feeling it right about now. He glances over at Tris as the first fight ends and he can see her mind busy at work developing a strategy.

Christina and Al enter the ring and Four hears him whimper, "Go easy on me ok?" He still has no idea what made that kid choose Dauntless. Al falls to the ground after a few quick hits and they shuffle off the mat. The next fight is one he's been waiting for. Edward is the only person here that can knock Peter down a few pegs and Four enjoys watching Edward kick the shit out of him. He stands a little straighter and moves a little closer as Tris enters the ring. Molly joins as well and sneers at Tris. 'Was that a birthmark I saw on your left butt cheek this morning stiff?" Four had no idea what she was talking about but from the look on Tris' face, whatever occurred to make Tris late involved Molly.

Four watched as Tris waited for Molly to strike first, ducked, and drove her fist into Molly's stomach quick and hard. Molly attempted to grab her but Tris slipped out of her grasp, and put her hands back up. He noticed she listened when he said her elbow was her best weapon because she forced her elbow at Molly's face but Molly was too fast, dodging it. Molly pulls back and punches Tris in the ribs and Four sees the same thing just as Tris sees it. Molly doesn't protect her face and Tris is smart enough to exploit that. Tris attacks with an uppercut toward her stomach, and then immediately sweeps her legs out from under her. Four can tell she has been practicing and listening to his suggestions, her fighting is much improved, or she has a personal vendetta against Molly. He is proud of her until he sees her snap and go into a dark place. As Molly is on the ground, she continues to kick her even though the fight is clearly won. Four feels a rush of panic as he thinks of Marcus and rushes over to pull Tris off from her.

Four clamps his hands around her arms, attempting to pull her back, as she gets one last stomp in causing blood to spurt from Molly nose. Four wrenches her away and mutters, "You won. Stop!" Four can't believe the look in Tris' eyes, such a fury aimed toward Molly, and he knows she has to leave this room immediately. "I think you should leave, take a walk."

He looks at Tris and sees her snap back to reality but can't find any guilt on her face. "I'm fine now, "she answers him as she pulls away.


	11. Chapter 11: Family

Four enjoyed the time he was able to sleep in this morning. He took a day off from his usual workouts due to Visiting Day that would be starting in a few minutes. He was in no rush to get down to the Pit, not wanting to see anyone if they did come. This was a day of remembering for him as the one person he would have wanted to see was gone from his life. She died so many years ago but memories of her were still fresh in his brain.

* * *

_He couldn't find his other shoe and if he was late to school he would have to answer to his father when he got home. As he was scrambling around his room, he looked up and saw his mom holding his other shoe with a smirk on her face. "I found this on the roof, any reason why it was up there?" He laughed and grabbed it from her. "Just a place to escape too sometimes. Love you mom!" He quickly walked around her and left the house._

* * *

_He was late for dinner, which meant one of two things. He would be spending his night in the closet or be facing his father's belt. Either way, he knew he was in for a long, hungry night. He slowly opened the door and saw broken dishes lying on the floor. He heard his mother whimpering in the other room and went to check on her. That's when he found him. The belt snapped against his back, tearing one of his last shirts wide open along with the skin. He screamed out and fell to the floor. "Why were you late? Was it because of your incessant daydreaming? Or did your divergence slow you down?" Marcus cracked the belt again and opened another gash along his son's back. As he raised his belt for another, his mom choked out, "Please stop. We need to share the news." Marcus' eyes shifted and he got a sickly sweet smile on his face. "Oh yes let's share with him. Your mother and I are so thrilled to be welcoming another child into our lives. Aren't you excited for a new baby brother or sister?" He couldn't answer, couldn't imagine another child having to go through this. Marcus wasn't happy with his lack of response and grabbed a hand full of hair and dragged him to the closet. "We will have to make room for the baby, maybe this will become your permanent room if you can't learn to obey my rules!" He slammed the door shut as the sobs began._

* * *

_As his mother's belly grew, so did his need to protect her. He would jump in front of punches and belts to keep her safe. One night when he was sleeping, she snuck into his room with a gift. He saw the beautiful blue sculpture as she placed it on his nightstand. "This is to remind you that you are always safe and loved. I know we aren't supposed to have things like this but I couldn't resist for you. It will always remind me of your eyes." He thought that was a weird thing to say but was too mesmerized by the beauty of the object. "Just keep it hidden, he won't like it." And with that she slipped out of his room. If only he had known that was the last time he would see her._

* * *

_He was pacing the floor of their house, waiting for news on the new arrival. Suddenly the door was flung open and Marcus' eyes settled on him. He knew something went terribly wrong, he had never seen his father this upset. "Your mother is dead. I've always said kids are poison and now one has taken her life. It's just you and me from now on and I am finally going to teach you some respect." Marcus slowly pulled his belt out of the loops as Tobias crumpled to the ground in grief._

* * *

Four snapped back to his apartment and realized that tears were streaming down his face. He wished he had brought it with him but he left the sculpture behind to let his father know that it was always his mother who had control over him. He missed her tremendously and wondered if she would have valued his choice, the man he was becoming today. He slowly got ready, knowing he should be down there if any initiates wanted to introduce their parents to their instructor. As he made his way down, his thoughts drifted to Tris and hoped for her sake at least one family member would come. It was so unbearable to watch others reunite and know that you have no one. He thought of his first Visting Day as he made his way to the dorms.

* * *

_Four watched all the other initiates, especially Dauntless born, be greeted by smiling faces. He knew he wouldn't want to see his father even if he bothered to come but that wasn't the case. He would never visit the son who betrayed him and that was what hurt the most, he had no family left. He stood off to the side and watched the waterfall through the chasm while listening to happy stories, laughs, and exclamations of reunited families. Zeke dragged him over to his family for a while but he could only last so long before he felt like an outsider. He made his way around the chasm when he noticed a space between two rocks. He slide in between them and found a path that lead down behind the waterfall. This is where he stayed until he heard the last family member leave and visited this place often when he needed some time to straighten his thoughts._

* * *

He entered the dorm to see Eric was already there. "Attention! I want to give you some advice today. If by some miracle your families do come to visit you, which I doubt, be careful to not appear too attached. You are Dauntless now, faction before blood, and we take that very seriously around here." Keeping us divided, that is what Four always felt it was when people said 'Faction before Blood.' By breaking those strong family ties and not letting others acknowledge where they came from, it kept society broken and easily manipulated. Four sees Eric stop Tris and tell her she did well and he watches her face drop. He realizes the same thing she does, if Eric thinks you did something right, you obviously did something wrong.

He drifts out before anyone notices him, finding his place along the railing, thinking about heading down into the chasm soon. He watches everyone reunite with family, Peter's family looks just as slimy as he does and Will's family is identical matches to him. Then he sees her, one grey sentry standing alone, eyes scanning the crowd. He wants to see Tris' reaction when she sees what Four can only assume is her mother. He remembers when she first hit the net thinking Abnegation would completely forsake her. Seems he was proven wrong and a smile breaks out on his face.

He sees Tris slowly scanning the crowd, not wanting to appear too eager and then her eyes connect with her mom's. To say he's seen her smile before is an understatement, those have just been flashes. This was her true smile, her face lit up, mouth stretched as wide as it can go, and true joy shone on her face. Four felt himself drift toward her but had to stop himself. This joy was not for him but he hoped one day it might be, that smile might be aimed at him. Looking at her was like waking up, seeing the sun for the first time.

Four leaned back on the railing but focused his ears on their meeting, just wanting to be a part of a happy family for once. Her mother remarks on how Tris has filled out and looks good. As she is talking, he realizes she knows a lot about their training and compound. Could she be a transfer? He gives her a once over and realizes she stands a little too straight for a stiff and looks around a little too much. He begins to thinks he might have at one time been Dauntless. He watches Tris' face fall as she finds out her father was unwilling to come and hears that they aren't allowed to visit Erudite either due to tension between the factions. He takes one more look at Tris' mom and realizes that she may recognize him from Abnegation and he doesn't need that. Just as he is about to walk away, he hears her ask Tris about him. "Oh that's just one of my instructors. He's kind of intimidating." Four smirks at the comment but blushes when he hears her mom's comment of, "He's handsome!" He looks over his shoulder again and sees them walking toward him.

Four smiles as he sees Tris' face wrapped up in nerves. Her mom sticks out her hand, 'She's definitely Dauntless' he thinks, and introduces herself. "I'm Natalie, Beatrice's mother." Four is still awkward at this even though Zeke made him practice a million times, which gives him away to keen eyes as a transfer. As he shakes her hand he realizes Tris notices his lack of skill with the greeting and knows she will conclude he isn't originally Dauntless, especially with no family around him.

"Four, nice to meet you." "Four? Is that a nickname?" "Yes. Your daughter is doing well here." "That's good to hear, I know a few things about Dauntless initiation and I was a little worried." Four shook his head and reassured her, "You shouldn't worry." Just as he was about to leave she asked the question he was dreading, "You look familiar Four, do I know you?" He knew he had to be rude now so she would be put off on remembering him. He hoped for his sake, this wouldn't be another black mark against him as Tris was concerned. "I don't make it a habit of associating with Abnegation. I'll leave you to it." He turned and walked away, back toward his room, unable to stay any longer. He had to get away from Natalie's prying eyes, the same analytical eyes that her daughter had, before she realized who he was.


	12. Chapter 12: Ranking

Four listens to conversation at the next table about the initiation tests. He's not sure why it came up but his ears perk up as they talk about their results. Each one shares how they had to kill the dog. The conversation revolves around to Tris and she stumbles with her answer. Four listens even closer as she attempts to cover up her lie. His breathe hitches as the others realize and call her on it. She is so close to revealing herself he wants to jump across the table and clamp his hand over her mouth to stop her. "I didn't kill the dog." "How did you get Dauntless if you didn't kill the dog?" He hears her hesitate again. "I got Abnegation," she says unsteadily. Christina continues to question her. Leave it to a Candor to continue to call out a person until they cave. Christina has no idea how much she is endangering her friend's life right now. "But you chose Dauntless anyway? Why?" "I told you, it was the food." Four let his breath out thinking Christina must be convinced as she laughed and the discussion turned toward hamburgers. This conversation has confirmed that she is Divergent and Four needs to come up with a plan to get her to trust him and discuss keeping her safe.

* * *

Four leaves the dining hall to get the rankings set up in the dorms. Just as he finishes the first initiates enter. When they see him, they rush the board but he pushes it behind him. He sees her blonde head come in last but sadly her stature doesn't allow her to see anything clearly over the crowd. "For those of you who just came in, I'm explaining how the ranks are determined. After the first round of fights, we ranked you according to your skill level. The number of points you earn depends on your skill level and the skill level of the person you beat. You earn more points for improving and more points for beating someone of a high skill level. I don't reward preying on the weak, that is cowardice." Four makes sure Peter knows he's talking about him but he doesn't let his eyes linger too long. "If you have a high rank, you lose points for losing to a low ranked opponent." Four hears Molly grunt at that news.

"The next stage is weighted more heavily because it is more closely tied to overcoming cowardice. Because of this, it is really hard to rank high at the end of initiation if you rank low in stage one. We will announce the cuts tomorrow and it doesn't matter whether you are transfers or Dauntless born, you will be ranked together and judged the same." With that, Four hangs the board and steps back so they all can see the rankings.

1. Edward

2. Peter

3. Will

4. Christina

5. Molly

6. Tris

7. Drew

8. Al

9. Myra

Four watched Tris' face fill with surprise as she sees her ranking. There was no doubting it, she earned her ranking from how much she improved, her performance during capture the flag, and her fight against Molly. The room was very quiet and Four hates this point in initiation. Not only does it cause unnecessary tension between all the initiates and can cause dangerous situations to arise, but it puts Four in a bad spot. He sees a perfect example of this in Molly who is currently boiling at her ranking. "What? I beat her in minutes! How is she ranked above me?" Four wasn't sure how to put this without hurting Tris but he had to be an instructor first and protect Christina from Molly's rage.

"If you intend to secure yourself a high rank, I suggest you don't make a habit of losing to low-ranked opponents." The rest of the group stopped talking and stared at Four. He rushes out of the room without looking at Tris, knowing if he made eye contact with her he would take back every word he said. She wasn't weak, she was the strongest one here. Little does he know, he just made it worse for Tris with that comment.

* * *

Four is woken up by Lauren beating on his door in the middle of the night. "You have to come quick. One of your initiates….so much blood….knife in the eye." She could barely speak as she grabbed Four and rushed him to the infirmary. He sees the nurses scrambling around a table and notices Myra sitting in the corner rocking back and forth. "Myra, what happened?" She looks up at him with a vacant look in her eyes. 'We were all asleep. All of a sudden I heard Edward scream and then the lights came on and there was blood everywhere. I saw Edward lying there with a knife poking out of his eye. Everyone was scrambling around except for the stiff, she ran to his side and-" "Tris, her name is Tris, " Edward managed to say. We looked over and saw his face wrapped in heavy bandages. "Don't use those words for someone who may have saved my life." 'Tris saved your life?" Four tried to ask nonchalantly. "After it happened, she calmed me down and convinced me the worst thing to do was remove the knife. She stayed by my side until the nurses arrived." Edward grabbed Myra's hand and squeezed. Four was jealous of their openness and wished he had that. "Did you happen to see who did it?" "No but I can take a good guess. The only person who would be bothered by my first place ranking." Four came to the same assumption that Edward did but if they didn't have proof, Peter won't be charged.

"Well tomorrow is a day off so you can rest up but I have to be honest that it's going to be very hard to continue in the program." He saw Edward and Myra share a glance and knew the decision was already made up. "We've decided to leave. With my eye and Myra's ranking, we won't last long anyway. We chose to become factionless." Four couldn't believe he was losing two of his initiates, especially Edward who was so strong. "Well, I am sorry to hear that and you are welcome to stay in the hospital until you are healed up. I will let Max know of your decision. Good luck to you." Edward and Four shook hands and he gave Myra a small squeeze on the shoulder. "Oh and Four?" Four turned back to Edward, "Yeah?" "Keep an eye on Tris, Peter has been out to get her since day one and is just biding his time." With that Edward turned to Myra and they wrapped each other up in their arms. Four left the infirmary wondering how Edward knew Four was so obsessed with protecting Tris.

Four shared with Christina, Uriah, Marlene, and Lauren that Edward and Myra had chosen to leave. He figured they would spread the word accordingly. He was exhausted and needed to catch up on some rest. He headed back to his room to do just that.


	13. Chapter 13: FreeFall

Four decides today he is going to go check on Tris and ask her to speak with him privately. He needs to remind her how important it is that she keep her Divergence hidden. Today is the perfect day since so many Dauntless will be out ziplining. Four shudders at the thought of climbing the Hancock building, strapping himself it to a few pieces of fabric and riding the power lines through the air. His stomach heaves and he almost loses his lunch. He heads for the dorms only to find it empty. His next step is to search the Pit. Four sees Chrsitina, Will and Al but not Tris. As he approaches them, he thinks through what he is going to say so his meeting with Tris doesn't seem suspicious.

"Christina." Four approaches her and her eyes look slightly scared at his voice. "Yes? Don't we have the day off?" Four smirks, "Yes you do, enjoy it. I'm looking for Tris. I need to question her about the other night's events. If you see her, let her know I'm looking for her and she can find me in the control room." Four walks away and heads to find Zeke before he remembers he went on the little excursion today. Four wandered around the compound, trying to find Tris and began to panic when there was no sign of her. He sprinted to the control room to check the cameras in the compound and found Peter, Drew, and Molly lounging in the dorms so he knew she was at least safe. It was then that he saw her, sitting on the train next to Uriah, heading to go ziplining. Of course she would do that, the girl willingly climbed the Ferris wheel, she had no fear of heights.

Four switches to the camera on the top of the Hancock building and waits for the group to arrive. About 15 minutes later, he sees motion and watches as Zeke sets up the harnesses. As they are getting ready, Four sets up a line of monitors with any cameras along the route he knows of. Even if he can't do this, he will experience the ride with her. He watches Zeke push person after person over the edge, Four having to look away at the beginning of the ride. He sees Tris finally step up and can tell she is nervous but he also sees that fire behind her eyes. Fear definitely wakes her up. She steps in and he watches Zeke help her get in and tighten her straps. He says something to her that makes her laugh and then he forces himself to watch Zeke release her. His stomach drops as she drops over the edge of the building. His eyes move from camera to camera, catching glimpses of Tris flying past. The look of pure exhilaration on her face has him smiling.

He watches her throw her arms out to the side and plunge to the street, realizing this girl is scarier than he thought. As she slows down, Four can't take his eyes off her. Face flushed from the ride, hair wildly flying behind her, and a smile larger than the one he saw on Visiting Day made him wish he was there to catch her at the end. Although if that were the case, he would have grabbed her, kissed her, and never let her go. He could feel whatever was between them coming to a boil and it wouldn't last much longer without any relief. Four held his breath as she undid her straps and let herself fall into the waiting arms of the others, thankful they caught her safely. With that, Four clears the screens and heads to the cafeteria, knowing they will be back soon.

He hears them enter the hallway and sees them spill into the cafeteria, Tris among them. She walks toward the table with her friends and their eyes are wide, unsure of her new group. He sees the jealousy in their eyes, especially Christina's and for a moment he is worried until he sees Tris hold her own. As he is watching, Zeke slides into the seat next to him. "You've got one daredevil of a girl there Four," he whispers. "She didn't even flinch as I pushed her off the roof. Everyone on the ground said she silently approached and wanted to go again. I've never met anyone who doesn't scream on their first trip." Four just nodded but continued watching Tris, her cheeks still bright and glowing from her ride today. He has a feeling he won't have to wait much longer to get closer to her, she is definitely waking up.


	14. Chapter 14: Space

Four readied the room for the second stage of initiation. He was glad to be past fighting but if that stage taught him anything, he needed to stay alert for any hint of divergence or trouble among this group. He was already watching Peter closer due to the knife incident but he seems to have calmed down after becoming number one. He was glad that Tris had become friends with the Dauntless born, there were more people out there to protect her while they all wait together. Also, he was worried her transfer friends were not as loyal as he had hoped initially.

They all line up in the hallway and Four asked them to take a seat. "From now on, you will all be training together. One by one you will enter the room with me to face your fears." With that he calls Uriah into the room.

As he is administering the test, he realizes Uriah is Divergent, but he must know he is because he is very smart about it. He hides it well and Four doesn't even have to adjust his results. "You did well in there. You thought quickly but smartly." Uriah gave him a knowing look, understanding what he was referring to and breathed a sigh of relief that he won't be discovered. "Just keep up what you are doing and you will be fine." Four walks him out and calls Lynn in.

He proceeds with Lynn's test and the next group of initiates were a blur until he reached Tris' name. He calls her name and leads her into the room. He feels her immediately recoil at the sight of the machine and that movement alone confirms she is Divergent. They are the only ones who fear the chair and what could possibly come with it. "Sit." Four says as he pushes her forward. "What's the simulation?" He can hear the nerves in her voice. "You will face your fears, this simulation is going to teach you to control your emotions in the midst of a frightening situation." He sees Tris drag herself to the chair and sit down hesitantly, wanting anything more in the world than to give her a hug and let her know he will protect her. "Do you ever administer Aptitude tests?" As he looks in her eyes, he finds himself bristle to cover up the emotions he doesn't want to show through in his. "No, I try to avoid Stiffs as much as possible." "Why" "Do you ask me that because you think I'll answer?" Four hates that he has to be rude to her but it's the only way he's found to hide his feelings. Being alone with her in this room tempts him to give in but the camera in the corner has him decide otherwise.

He brushes the hair away from her neck and he feels her tense. He knows he is giving her mixed signals, harsh words and gentle touches and it confuses him just as much. She looks at what he is holding and her eyes widen at the sight of the syringe filled with the simulation serum. "An injection?" she asks. "We use a more advanced version of the simulation here. No wires or electrodes for you." "Well, how does it work without the wire?" He wants to stop her from being so curious; it is an Erudite trait she needs to suppress, assuming that is one of the factions she had an aptitude for. "Well I have wires so I can see what is going on. You get a tiny transmitter in the serum that sends the computer images of what you see.

With that, he eases the tip of the needle into her neck. He sees the pain on her face and can't help but try to ease that if possible. "The serum will go into effect in sixty seconds. This will be different than what you experienced before, you will be drawn into a hallucination. It is your job to stay in the hallucination until you are able to calm your heart rate and breathing down to normal." With that, Four saw her eyelids begin to blink slower and before she went completely under, he grabbed her head and whispered, "Be brave Tris. The first time is always the hardest." The last thing he sees is her piercing eyes as she goes under.

On the screen, he sees her in a field that has a fire burning nearby. All of a sudden, a crow lands on her shoulder. He sees her eyes widen in panic and hit the crow. 'Breathe Tris, slow down your breathing and it will go away,' he thinks. But she doesn't, she gives in to the panic, crying out and beating the crow with both hands. Four feels his hands jerk as if to reach out to her to help but she is even beyond his help right now. He sees more crows descend on her and he feels his heart rate speed up watching her panic. She beings to scream out and he knows she doesn't remember a word he said. Then all of a sudden, something changes. He watches her begin to control her breathing and lay down on the ground, stretching out fully, allowing the crows to completely cover her body. As her heart rate slows, she gets pulled out of the simulation but in her mind she is still in it. Four watches her open her eyes to the sight of the metal chair but doesn't know where she is. She panics slightly thinking the birds are still there but quickly realizes they aren't. Four touches her shoulder to bring her back to reality and she throws a punch at him. "It's ok, it's over," he reassures her. He moves his hand to stroke her hair, pushing the physical contact a little too far, praying no one is watching the camera right now. She is not calming down like she should and Four wants to remove the fear for her. "Tris, I'm going to take you back to the dorms ok?" "No! They can't see me like this!" Four understands not wanting to look weak and reassures her, "Ok I"ll let you out the back door then." She tries to tell him she doesn't need him but he can't let her out of his sight just yet. "Nonsense." Four grabs her arm and walks with her down a hallway. He wants to talk but isn't sure if she is up for it yet.

Finally she turns to him and he can see the anger on her face. "Why did you do that to me? What was the point?" Four takes a deep breath and asks calmly, "Did you think overcoming your fears would be easy?" She yells back, "This isn't overcoming cowardice, cowardice is how you decide to be in real life. I am not getting pecked apart by crows in real life Four!" He smirks at her anger but then sees her cover her face. He hears her sob and again feels the overwhelming desire to wrap her up in his arms and take away that pain. He hears her mutter weakly, "I want to go home." He knows the feeling, remembering how awful his first time was but has to keep her from breaking.

"Learning how to be strong and think in the midst of fear is a lesson everyone, even Stiffs, need to learn. That's what we're trying to teach you and if you can't learn it you better leave because you won't make it here." Four watches her face carefully and sees the exhaustion taking over. "I'm trying but I'm failing." Her lip trembles and Four's heart breaks at the sight of her emotions. He has only seen her be strong and has gotten used to being able to push her. He forgot she was just a girl who had recently left behind the entire world she knew. He realized she didn't understand just how good she was here.

"Tris. How long do you think you were in there?" He watches her think it over and reply, "30 minutes?" He smiles, "Three minutes. You got out three times faster than the other initiates. You are not a failure, whatever you are. Tomorrow you will be better." He watches her face fall, "Tomorrow?"

Four puts his hand on her back and guides her towards her dorm, wanting nothing more than to take her back to his apartment but again realizing it's not the time, although that time is approaching much faster than he thought. As they get closer she turns and asks him the one question he can't answer right now. "What was your first hallucination?" "It wasn't a 'what' but more of a 'who' but it's not important." "Are you over that fear?" "Not yet." They reach the door and Four leans against the wall smashing his hands in his pockets so he won't do anything foolish like grab her face and kiss her which was all he thought about since she woke up from the simulation. "I may never be."

Tris looks at him curiously, "So they don't go away?" He fears that every time he enters his fear landscape and so far that is true. But he can't tell her that, he has to give her hope, so he tells a partial lie. "Sometimes they do but sometimes those fears are replaced by new ones. I don't think you can become fearless but if you can learn how to control it, how to be free from it, you will succeed at this stage." He sees her thinking deeply and continues wanting to reassure her as much as possible. He smiles warmly at her and he watches her return that smile. "Your fears are rarely what they appear to be in the simulation. Are you afraid of crows in real life, do you run away screaming when you see one?" She smiles and responds with a strong "No" and Four continues, enjoying this time, pretending they are just a girl and boy talking, getting to know one another. He feels her step closer to him and his breath stops. 'Does she feel the same way?' He watches her second guess her decision but then hold strong. He enjoys the feeling of her so close to him. She moves her body so she can lean against the wall and she was so close, Four could reach out and touch her if he was brave enough. She looked up at him, "So what am I really afraid of?" He can barely concentrate on her question as she leans toward him. One quick movement and their lips would touch. He barely whispers, "I don't know, only you know that." "I didn't think Dauntless would be this difficult to join." He is surprised she is so open with him but it's something he loves. They were growing closer together, learning more about one another, becoming more comfortable with less space between them.

"It wasn't always like this I'm told. Being Dauntless, it has shifted when the leadership changed. Six years ago, Max adjusted the training methods to be more competitive and brutal, disguising it as testing initiates strength. And I'm sure you already know who the next protégé is?" Tris looked up at him and had the same thought as Four, Eric. Four knew he had somehow survived their training, escaped the brutality, fought against it as hard as he could, but Eric reveled in it. "So if you were first in your class, what rank was Eric's?" Four just smiled at her, she was so curious, it was one thing he really liked about her. "Second." He knew she could come to the conclusion even as she was asking the question, "So you were their first choice? He was their second?" He wanted to know her thinking, get inside her brain. "What makes you say that?" "Well I saw how he was at dinner and I felt like he was threatened by you." Four didn't say anything, she was exactly right and the situation with Eric was something he struggled with on a daily basis.

He could tell she wanted to ask him more and he would have shared any answers with her that she asked of him right now. She had him fully under her power and there was no resisting her anymore. She held back and he knew this was because he was so private in front of everyone. He hoped one day they could be open with each other and he could finally tell someone the secrets that threatened to break him some days. "Do I look like I've been crying?" she asked him. He studied her face and, narrowing his eyes, leaned in close. He couldn't hold it in any longer and a smile took over his face. This was the effect she had on him. "No Tris, you look tough as nails."


	15. Chapter 15: Inhibitions

Zeke convinced Four to let loose on his day off and have a few drinks with him in the Pit. Four needed to get out of his room anyway, an article was released about Abnegation, accusing his old faction of terrible things, building on the article from last month about Marcus. Four couldn't imagine what would have happened to him if he had been at home when that was released. Tris' name appeared as well, bringing up the issue of why both her and her brother would transfer out. He didn't realize that her father was Andrew Prior, confirming that if he had stuck around her mother would have figured out who he was. He also had the answer to why she was so longingly looking at the Erudite headquarters the night of capture the flag. Her brother had transferred there and she hadn't seen him since.

So Four found himself in the Pit enjoying a few drinks, more than he normally would, with Zeke and the others from his group. Luckily Eric was nowhere to be found, Four hated when he acted superior to them. As they were hanging out, Zeke nudged Four and motioned in the direction behind him with his head. Four turned around, curious as to what Zeke was looking at, and saw her enter with the other three. She was wearing a shirt that exposed her collarbone and shoulders. He saw a new tattoo, the Dauntless flames, on her shoulder and couldn't take his eyes off from her. "Dude, just go say hi. What could go wrong?" Zeke pushed him. Four knew what could go wrong, with alcohol in his system, he was much more daring. He saw Will talking to her and wanted so much to be a part of her life. As he was watching them, Will made eye contact with him and saw him say something to Tris. Four watched as her eyes raised to connect with his and it was no longer his decision whether he was going over there or not. He couldn't resist those eyes, especially when his inhibitions were so free.

Before he knew it, he was calling out her name, "Tris!" The whole group stopped moving and turned toward him, taken aback he was addressing her directly. He realized he should have addressed the whole group but at this point he only cared about her. He knew he was slightly slurring his words but he pushed through. "You look different." Tris gave him a smile which he returned, "So do you." Four tried to figure out what she meant, assuming it was his more laid back demeanor due to the drinks. "Just flirting with death, decided to make life a little more interesting. Probably not the best idea to drink near the chasm." He was still only talking to her, as her friends slowly inched back unsure of how to assess this situation. "No it isn't, who would train us if our mighty leader fell to his death?" He laughed and then motioned toward her tattoos. "I didn't know you had a tattoo," finding it incredibly hot against her pale skin. He took another sip from his bottle, wanting to keep up the courage that was allowing him to be so free with her.

"Right. The crows." He made the connection to her fears but felt that he had analyzed that wrong. "I'd ask you to hang out with us but you aren't supposed to see me this way." Four had no idea what had gotten in to him. She probably didn't even want to hang out with him and he was pushing the amount of attention he could pay her without questions being asked. "What way, drunk?" She asked with humor on her face. "Yeah…..well no. Real I guess." Four said quietly. He didn't want to admit he had too much to drink and he felt disappointed that she thought that was the only reason he was being so bold right now. She winked at him, "I'll pretend I didn't." He smiled and thanked her. Without thinking, he leaned in real close and whispered in her ear, "You look good Tris." He surprised not only himself but her as well and he saw something flit across her eyes. Was that hope he saw that he noticed her? Before he could study it closer, it was covered up by humor as she said, "Do me a favor and stay away from the chasm ok?" Four was the one showing hope in his eyes now, wishing he could ask her what she felt about him. But the moment was over, clearly stated by Will's throat clearing. This brought Four back to reality and he backed away. It's a good thing his body momentum was carrying him backwards as Al picked Tris up and threw her over his shoulder, otherwise Al would be eating his fist right now. Just as the jealousy threatened to take over and follow them, Tris met his eyes and waved at him. Four's body soared and he re-joined Zeke with a huge smile on his face.

"What's up with you Four?" Shauna asked. "I think I am done for the day. See you guys later." Four headed to his room to sleep off the alcohol buzzing in his system and dream of a day he would be able to throw Tris over_ his_ shoulder and not look back.


	16. Chapter 16: Aware

**These chapters have been shorter so I've been able to upload them more quickly. I am really getting drawn in to Four's world and have been reading and writing every chance I get. Let me know what you think so far. I don't want to upload too quickly and lose the strength of the story so far. I'm not sure how uploading works but I re-read my chapters multiple times to continue the flow of the story and if I notice a mistake I fix it and re-upload the chapter (I'm a perfectionist haha). Sorry if you are getting a bunch of updates and no new chapters, that is just me fixing any grammar or spelling mistakes I may have.**

* * *

Tris follows him into the room again and Four lets her settle into the chair. He hears her trying to control her breathing, already allowing fear to take over. He turns to her with kind eyes, "It's just a simulation Tris." He sees her nod her head but looks unconvinced. He gives her arm a reassuring squeeze before he brushes her hair aside and injects the serum into her neck.

Four watches as Tris's dark world is light up and realizes she is in the Pit. He sees she is enclosed in a glass box but Tris hasn't realized it yet. He watches as she tries to get her friends' attention and then sees her reflection. Four wonders what this fear could be until he sees the water begin in the bottom of the tank. Trying to analyze her fear, he wonders if she has a fear of drowning or confinement. His eyes jump back to her and he can see the panic set in as Tris begins to pound on the glass and shout. Four's eyes go back to the crowd and they are looking at her but not acknowledging her.

The water continues to fill the tank and Four is desperate, watching Tris struggle inside the tank. He sees her continue to slam and kick the tank with no thought to control her breathing. She is still allowing fear to take over. She begins to float the to top of the tank and he sees Tris take in deep breaths of what is left of the air. He sees something flash in her eyes and it appears as if she is going to calm down but then she screams and water fills her mouth.

What Four sees next sends his heart racing. She hits the wall with her palm and cracks the glass, that shouldn't be possible. She hits it again and sends another crack in the glass. After kicking it, the panel breaks and she flows out with the water. With that Four is pulled out of the simulation and is left staring at her now open grey eyes. Grey eyes that are filled with panic at what just happened which is quickly covered over by a false sense of calm. Four just stares at her, unable to move. "How did you do that?" he asks.

Tris attempts to not understand what he is talking about, "Do what?" "Crack the glass." Four needs to delete this from the system before anyone else sees it but he has to know from her how that happened. "I don't know." Four realizes he is not going to get anywhere with her and sticks out his hand to help her up. He grabs her elbow leading her out of the room and down a hallway. He finds a corner that he knows isn't monitored by cameras and stares Tris straight in the eyes. "You're Divergent." Four doesn't sugar coat it any longer. Tris could very well be in danger and he had to make her understand how serious this was.

"What's Divergent?" she asked trying to play stupid. Four wasn't buying it. "Don't play stupid. I suspected it last time but this time it's obvious. You manipulated the simulation, you're Divergent. I have to get back to deleve the footage but unless you want to end up _dead_ at the bottom of the chasm, you'll figure out a way to hide it during simulations. Excuse me." With that Four rushed back to the room and deleted the footage, entering an unfinished result and finally let the breath out he was holding. How was he going to protect her from this? He had to meet with Tori to let her know he confirmed her Divergence and she was aware of it now.

* * *

Tobias finishes the rest of the tests for the day and then heads straight for the tattoo parlor. Tori sees him coming and motions for him to sit in the chair in the back. Tobias takes a seat as she checks the bandages on his neck, allowing her to get close to his ear. "I had a visitor today asking quite a lot of questions. When did you find out?" "Just a little bit ago, had some issues with the test. She got sick and was unable to finish her simulation. " Tobias used the code words they had developed to discuss someone manipulating the system without saying it out loud. He never trusted they were alone without prying eyes or ears listening in. "Well this looks good, I'm really sorry again for getting you with the needle. Next one's on me." Tori helped him up and pulled him into a hug. "Keep an eye on her, from what she told me she's stronger than Geroge ever was. They may already be watching her. You can help her Four, you know what to do." With that Tori walked away and left Four standing there wondering how he was going to proceed.


	17. Chapter 17: Silence

Four watches Tris wake up from her simulation having the same fear today as yesterday. She looks very tired and he remembers how exhausting this stage could be. "I know the simulation isn't real but it's the only time I get to see my family." Four gives a small smile, "You don't have to explain to me, you miss your family and don't want to shoot them. It's not the most unreasonable thing in the world." She studies him with her eyes and he feels he can't look away, she has him in her grasp. "Do you ever miss your family?" Four recoils slightly at the question but pushes back up the barrier, "No, I don't. But that's unusual." Tris' eyes really bore into him now and Four finds himself lost in the grey depths.

They stare at each other for what feels like too long, Four trying to communicate to her that he is Divergent and knows what she is going through, but unable to say it out loud and he doubts she gets the message. Four feels her eyes swallowing him whole before she breaks the contact and hurries out the door. Four exhales and is glad her test was the last of the day. He cleans up the room and heads out for a run. Eric said he would take over announcing the rankings and Four is sad he won't be able to see Tris' face when she sees she is in the number one spot.

During Four's run, he realizes how stupid he was. Why was Eric so eager to announce the rankings when Four could have easily done it? As his thoughts progressed, he realized he just left Tris alone with not only Eric but Peter. A man, who shoved a butter knife through his competitor's eye after coming in second to him was now finding out he no longer was number one. Four turned abruptly and sprinted back to the compound, hoping it wasn't too late.

Four entered the compound to find Eric grinning from ear to ear. "What's got you all excited?" "Just an interesting afternoon announcing the rankings." Four's stomach dropped, was Tris still alive? "Why do you say that?" Four asks and Eric turns to face him smirking. "Well some people weren't very thrilled to be beaten by a Stiff. I don't blame them, Stiffs think they are so much better than everyone else, don't they _Four?_" With that Eric walked away and Four rushed to the dorm to check and make sure nothing serious happened in their absence. He hears voices inside and realizes it is Tris and Al. Four sighs in relief at the sound, letting him know she is still alive. He listens in on the conversation.

"Are you all right?" Tris asks. Four hears Al mutter, "sure" and knows Al realizes he is going to be factionless. Tris, being the selfless person she is, tries to console him, "It's not over, you can improve your rank if you…" Four doesn't hear her finish and assumes they are both remembering his words about how difficult it is to improve your rank. Al responds, "See it's not that simple. For you, this is all so easy, it's not the same for me." "That's not true." "Yes it is and it doesn't help me when you pretend it's not true. I don't think you can help me at all." He hears Al start to sob and tell Tris to leave him alone. Four backs away from the door and around the corner as Tris leaves the room, shoulders slumped looking very defeated.

Four heads to the dining hall to meet up with Zeke and Shauna. They had plans to hang out tonight since Four had another break between stages. He had barely seen Zeke, except for the day in the Pit and wanted to catch up with his best friend. After they finished eating, Zeke and Shauna wanted to go shoot some rounds and since Four had access to the gun cabinets, he was able to make that happen. They were laughing and goofing around as they walked through the halls, Zeke teasing Shauna a little too much. Four was going to have to make sure to give Zeke a hard time about that one later. As they neared the practice room, they heard gun shots. Zeke and Four both look at each other, dropping into a defensive stance but then hear laughter and realize other people probably had the same idea as them.

They open the door and Four sees Uriah, Lynn, Marlene, and Tris. "I thought I heard someone in here." He watches them freeze and look at them, eyes wide with surprise. Tris looks even more exhausted and Four understands the strain on her face. It's hard when you are better than your friends during initiation, it leaves a strain on the relationship. Luckily Zeke and he were able to move past that.

* * *

_After all is said and done, and the initiates choose their jobs, Four goes to find Zeke. He finds the entire group lounging in the Pit and walks over to join them. "Look who it is, Mr. Big Shot. Coming to grace us with your presence? I'm surprised number 1 can spend his time with lowlifes like us." Four has no idea what has come over Zeke and it seems everyone else is surprised as well. "What's your problem man? Did I do something to you?" "Yeah, you chose my faction, convinced everyone you were this quiet Stiff, and then embarrassed us all as you wiped the floor with us. Sorry if I don't particularly like to associate with liars and cheats." Four took a step back, never before had he seen Zeke act this way. He was usually so happy and free, never once had he seen malice on his face, especially directed at Four. He always felt Zeke was his only ally, trusting him with secrets about his past that he told no one else. "Well at least now I know how you feel. Thanks for letting me know respectfully." With that Four turned away and began walking toward his spot under the waterfall. He heard footsteps behind him and thought Zeke was coming for more. He turned around sharply, ready for a fight, when she saw Shauna. "Hey, ignore Zeke. It's hard when you grow up Dauntless and practice for initiation all your life, to watch someone from another faction excel past you. We all dream of being number 1, he's just a little more open about it." "Yeah well I didn't cheat and I certainly didn't lie about anything. I worked really hard to get where I am." "I know that and Zeke knows that. Just give him some time." Four nodded and walked away. _

_Later that night there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find Zeke. "Sorry man. I was just really upset that you were number one but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It's just hard to watch someone who has only been here for a year do so well. No hard feelings? I know why you chose us and what you had to escape from. I don't think I would have been as brave as you to do that. Friends again?" Four could have taken the selfish road and slammed the door in his face, part of him really wanted to, but that would have betrayed everything ingrained in him since he was born. He grabbed Zeke and pulled him into a hug. "No hard feelings but next time I'm just going to punch you in the face to knock some sense into you." They both laughed and headed down to the Pit to celebrate._

* * *

"Turns out it's just my idiot brother Four. They aren't supposed to be in here after hours, should we report them to Eric?" Zeke asked with a grin. Four grinned too and watched the initiates nervously glance at one another. "You won't tell Eric," Lynn said eyeing him suspiciously. She was right, but only because Tris was here and he hated Eric with a passion. "No I wouldn't. But you better go anyway." As they walk out, Four reaches out and places his hand on Tris' shoulder and ushers her out. He gives it one light squeeze, trying to convey his sympathy for her jealous fellow initiates. "Wait a second." He stops her, needing to reassure her that she is in the right place, no matter how the others are making her feel. "You belong here you know that right? You belong with us, it will be over soon so just hold on." _'And then I can tell you how I really feel and maybe move forward with this_,' he thinks but doesn't say. Four realizes he just put a lot of emotion out there for everyone to see and scratches his head embarrassed by his lack of control. Just as he is about to walk back into the room, he feels her hand grab his. His breath hitches as her fingers slide between his. He looks at her as she stares back into his eyes, just standing there. Just as quickly as it happened, her hand is gone and she is hurrying down the hallway to join up with her friends. Four can't stop the smile that spreads across his face as he rejoins the group.

"What was that?" Shauna asks. Four doesn't say a word as he walks to the gun cabinet and pulls out a weapon. He can hear Zeke trying to hold back a laugh and turns to see both of them staring at him wide eyed. "What?" "That whole thing, 'You belong here!' and the hand holding, " Shauna asks while mocking his voice. "You like her." "No I don't." "Oh c'mon Four I'm not blind and from the look on Zeke's face this has been going on for a while. You know, that day in the Pit makes sense now. I thought you were awful close with her. What are you going to do about it? Eric will kill her and you if he finds out." "I'm not doing anything about it because there is nothing to do. Are we going to shoot or what?" Four turns to the target and unloads a round of bullets straight into the target. As he examines it, he realizes his shots aren't tightly grouped in the center like normal but spread sporadically around. He tries to remove the paper before the others see but Shauna will not let this go.

"If there is nothing going on then why did the best shooter Dauntless has ever seen just shoot as if it was his first day here. Just admit it, I won't tell anyone, but admit you like her." Four turns and stares her in the eyes, "Even if I did, I couldn't do anything about it. Eric won't allow it and it would endanger her life. It doesn't matter so drop it." "Always the perfect instructor. Give it up Four, relax and live a little. Eric doesn't own you or her so just give in. You never allow yourself to be happy, the few glimpses I have seen of it show me that you need to relax. This would be good for you. Just think about it, I hate seeing you so stoic all the time." With that Shauna walks over by Zeke leaving Four to his thoughts. She was right, he always followed the rules and maybe just this one time he could break them. He turns to see the both watching him. "So what do I do? Just walk up to her and say 'Hey I like you, want to make out?'" Four asks them.

Both of them burst out laughing. "Well maybe you want to be a little smoother but that's the general idea of it. Just find a setting you two can hang out in without all this training bullshit in the way. Don't make it too public though, maybe have her meet you here or on the trains," Shauna suggested. Four felt lost, he had never done anything like this before. He knew he liked her and knew he wanted something with her but had no idea how to get that. "I'm going to head out. I'm not feeling up for hanging out tonight." With that Four exited the room and headed back to his apartment, taking the long way around to get his thoughts in order.

As he rounded the corner near the chasm, Four heard a struggle and a scream and decided he better step in before someone falls over the edge. He walks around the corner expecting to see two drunks settling some score, when his stomach drops and he sees red from the anger that unleashes inside of him. He sees three boys dressed in all black attempting to throw Tris over the chasm. He doesn't even think as he rushes into the group right as they are forcing her over the ledge. He watches her body fly over the railing and time stops. Four hears nothing as he watches her arms shoot out and loop over the railing. He can't process anything until he sees Peter nearest to him and kicks him in the face, something he's been dreaming about for a while. He notices someone to his right, grabs his head and slams it into the railing near the chasm. This is when he realzies it is Drew. The third boy tries to run but Four trips him up and grabs his hair lifting him from the ground, always checking to make sure Tris is still holding on. "Coward," he mutters when he sees it's Al. He punches him in the face and knocks him out. He kicks Drew again in the ribs and punches him one more time in the face knocking him out. He grabs Peter and jabs him in the ribs and then tosses him aside, not caring if he falls in the chasm or not.

He steps over them, seeing her still clinging to the railing, hanging over the chasm, bleeding and bruised. She looks up at him and croaks, "Four." His heart breaks as he wraps his arms around her and gently lifts her from the railing, so thankful she was able to grab on. He feels her press her face into his shoulder and all he can think about was what would have happened if he hadn't left the practice room when he did. Silence fills his entire body as he walks with her in his arms, thanking everything he can that she is alive in his arms.


	18. Chapter 18: Vulnerable

Tobias gently lays Tris down on his bed and walks into the bathroom to clean the blood off his hands. Some of the blood is theirs, some his and some is hers from carrying her. As he washes his hands, he also uses that time to calm himself down. He needs to clear his head or he will go back out there and find them and finish what he started. They were lucky that Tris was hanging over that railing or he probably would not have been able to stop. He glances out at Tris, still asleep and continues scrubbing, cleaning under every nail. Any sight of the blood will remind him there are three creeps out there wishing harm on Tris.

He hears her stir and wipes off his hands before he heads to his freezer. He grabs out an ice pack and walks over to her. He sees her eyes dart to his hands and he knows what she is going to say. "Your hands." "My hands are none of your concern." He sits right on the edge of the mattress, leans over her, and slides the ice pack under her head. His body is screaming at him to lie down with her but he knows this is definitely not the right time. As he starts to pull away, she lifts her hand to his lip, where it is cut, and concern pulls her lips down. "Tris, I'm alright." "Why were you there?" she asks.

Four has a million thoughts rush through his head; _'I was following you.' 'I was trying to find a way to tell you that I think I'm falling in love with you.' 'I had to take a long walk to clear my head of images of kissing you.'_ Instead he settled for a small lie. "I was coming back from the control room and heard a scream." Her hand drops from his face and it instantly feels cold, vacant. "What happened to the others?" He sees the fright in her eyes and he wants to assure her nothing will happen to her ever again. "Drew is in the infirmary, I went back after I brought you here and took him there, he was still unconscious. Peter and Al ran like the cowards they are. Drew said they were just trying to scare you when I woke him up but I don't believe it." "He's in bad shape?" "He'll live but I can't guarantee what condition." He sees Tris smile and whisper, "Good."

Four just sits on the edge of the bed watching her and marveling at her strength. Just an hour ago she was fighting for her life hanging over the chasm. Four took a chance and rested his hand on the side of her face, what he wouldn't do to kiss her right now. His thumb was skimming over her cheekbone and just the contact alone was making him dizzy. "I could report this," he says to her, giving her a hard look to assure her he is on her side. "Thanks but no. I don't want them to think I'm scared." Four smirked, always had to be tough, and said, "I figured you'd say that." He saw her shift her body and he grabbed one of her shoulders and helped her prop herself up. He heard her groan and wonders why she is keeping her guard up. "It's just me, you can let yourself be in pain."

He sees the tears in her eyes and sees the strength it takes to hold them in. "I suggest you rely on your transfer friends to protect you from now on." _'Although I would love for you to say you want me to, I will protect you with my life.' _She looked at him with tears threatening to spill over, "I thought I was but Al…" Four felt the fury rise up in him. Al had no right to put his hands on her in a caring way and then turn around and betray her. If Four ran into him again, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop himself from beating the shit out of that kid, especially after seeing the look on Tris' face she had now. "He wanted you to be a small, quiet Abnegation girl. You aren't, you are so much more than that and that scared him. Your strength scared him and made him feel weak. That is the only reason he did this to you." Tris nodded along with him but he wasn't sure he convinced her.

"I think if you showed some vulnerability the others wouldn't be quite so jealous of you." Her eyes flashed at him, the fire returning slightly, "You think I have to pretend to be vulnerable?" He shook his head at her, amused at her passion. "Yes I do. I already know that tomorrow you are going to want to march in at breakfast with your head held high to prove them wrong. But you need to do the opposite. Let the bruises show, keep your head down." He saw her pale at the idea of showing weakness, he understood. He fought against weakness his whole life, wanting to always appear strong but it also made him enemies. "I don't think I can do that." She looked at him through her lashes, genuinely confused on what he was asking her to do. "You have to." "You don't get it. They touched me." Four couldn't breathe, the fury he buried earlier rose up with more intensity than he's ever felt. It took every ounce of his strength to stay sitting on that bed. "Touched you," he repeated, knowing his eyes were full of anger. "Not in the way you are thinking but almost." Four looked away in disgust for what almost happened to her, how dare they take that from her. Peter should know that is sacred especially to a Stiff, but that is probably why he did it. They are lucky he didn't know that before or none of them would have found their way home tonight.

He felt Tris staring at him but he was still unable to speak, he had let them run, thinking it was for the best that he didn't kill them but now his mind was rethinking his decision. "What is it?" she asked as she put her hand on his. "I don't want to say this but I think your safety is more important than being right for the time being. Understand?" He looked at her and held her eyes so she knew what he said next he meant with absolute certainty. "But when the situation arises, ruin them." He was so close to the edge right now as he looked at her and imagined their hands on her that she was the only thing keeping him in this room. He hears her let out a shaky laugh, "You are a little scary Four." At that moment, he didn't want to be Four, he wanted to be someone who didn't have secrets from her but he couldn't tell her yet. So he settled for his usual mysteriousness, "Do me a favor, don't call me that." She glanced at him curiously, "What should I call you then?" Four knew very soon he would lay it all on the line for her but not this second. "Nothing….yet," he said as he removed his hand from her face.


	19. Chapter 19: Chance

Four gets up walks to the closet. He grabs out an extra pillow and blanket. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable but I don't think it's a good idea that you go back to the dorm and to be honest, I wouldn't let you even if you wanted to. Are you ok with staying here? You can have the bed, I have slept in worse places than the floor." He sees Tris' eyes get big with surprise as he offers up his bed to her. He would give her anything she asked for. "To be honest, I don't want to go back, I wouldn't be able to sleep. I can take the floor though, you don't have to give up your bed for me." Four lets out a loud laugh, amazed that this girl, who almost just plummeted to her death, was offering to sleep on the floor. "The bed is yours. Did you need anything else?" She smiled at him, "No, this is great thanks." He saw her look over the bed before grabbing his pillow and gently lay her head on it.

Four realized his pillow was going to be covered in her scent as she closed her eyes and he imagined falling asleep to that smell every night. He threw his pillow on the ground next to the bed and laid down. He already knew he wouldn't get much sleep tonight, especially with the sounds of her gentle breathing coming from so close. This is what he had always imagined and although they weren't sharing the same bed, this was close enough for him right now. Eventually his eyes became heavy and he drifted off to sleep. He was woken up later to her walking around but he kept his body perfectly still. He felt her studying him and wanted more than anything to pull her down in his arms. Eventually he heard her breathing even out again and he fell back asleep.

When his internal clock woke him up, it took Four a minute to remember why he was on the floor, then he heard her and a smile broke out on his face. He also realized this was the first time he slept in a room with the opposite sex, oh the scandal Abnegation would have with this if they found out. He quietly got up, removed some fresh clothes from his dresser, and slipped into the bathroom to freshen up. When he finished, he got dressed and as he exited the bathroom, he sees her standing by his mirror, barely able to see into it. "Hey." He watches her eyes flit over his body and he blushes slightly. Four is feeling extra bold today and walks straight over to her and brushes his hand over her cheek to examine the bruise, "Not bad, how's your head?" "Fine." He can tell she is lying but he lets it slide, marveling at her tenacity for toughness. Four continues with his boldness as he slides his hand down her side, enjoying the feeling of her body against his hand. "And your side," his voice low full of tension. "Only hurts when I breathe." He breaks out into a smile, "Not much you can do about that."

The tension is killing him but Tris is able to break it with her smile and sarcasm. "Peter would probably throw a party if I quit breathing." At first Four couldn't imagine the thought of her not breathing but decides to tease her a little. "I would only go if there was cake," giving her a wry smile. He hears her laugh and then wince immediately, her hand flashing to her side in reflex, which covers his still lingering there. Four knows this is the moment, she has to feel the connection they have, but his fear beats him out and he backs away. As he pulls his hand off her side, he feels an ache in his chest for letting that chance go. "I'll go first, see you soon Tris."

With that Four turns and walks out of his apartment kicking himself for being weak in that moment. He was so sure of how he felt but had no idea where she stood. After just being attacked, he didn't want to put anymore unwanted pressure on her. He truly believed she had feelings for him as well, trusted his instincts from her touches and looks, but didn't want to risk it right now.

Four walked into the dining hall and it takes everything in him to not walk over to Peter and smash his smug face into the table. He sits down next to Zeke and Shauna. "Where did you end up last night? You bailed on all of our plans. If it's because of what we said in the practice room, I'm sorry but seriously man you just have to make a move soon." Four wasn't paying attention to Zeke at all, his eyes were on the door, hoping she would take his advice. He sees her walk in and Zeke follows his eyes and gasps. "What happened to her?" Four can't talk as he watches Tris hug the wall with her head down, hating seeing her act weak but knows it's for the best, and cower while she shuffles to the table with her friends. Four holds his breath, this is the pivotal moment, wondering how her friends will react. Four sees Uriah move for her and they all stare at her bruised and battered face, looking shocked and clearly drilling her for information.

"Four, dude you with me? What happened to her?" "She got attacked, by three assholes. I only got there just in time, she was hanging over the chasm when I rescued her. They were going to throw her over." He saw the look of horror on Zeke and Shauna's face. "Is that why that Drew kid looks like he got hit by a train last night? Was that you?"

Zeke was looking at the door and Four followed his eyes to see Drew shuffle in. Four wanted so badly to continue what he did last night but Tris assured him Peter was the only one who put his hands on her. "Yes and he's lucky he is breathing." Four turned his attention back to her table and saw everyone rally around her. "We have to start stage three today too. I hate that I can't give her the day off. I better get going." Four lifts himself from the table he was sitting at and walks over to the transfer table. He tries not to look at Tris, knowing he won't be able to hide his emotions if he does. "Transfers we're doing something different today, follow me." With that he turns and walks out but not before he hears Will promise Uriah he will protect Tris. Four feels slightly better at having Will on his side.

He leads them out of the dining hall and around through the Pit. They are headed to his least favorite part of the compound today and with the mental state he is in, it is going to be extremely difficult to keep his emotions in check. As they climb higher, Four concentrates on the only thing that has ever made heights bearable, Tris' face on the Ferris wheel. He turns and walks across a narrow passageway backwards, the same one he always does and watches the initiates stumble up the ladder. Four can't help himself before he yells out, "Let's go Drew! Pick up the pace!" He sees Tris trying to fight off a smile and he wishes they could share one together. He steals a glance toward her and his eyes harden at the sight of Will's arm around Tris, taking back his previous feeling of happiness that Will was close by. Jealousy flares up in him at the fact that he should be helping her walk right now, he was the one that saved her last night and stayed up most of the night to make sure she was ok. He turns and heads up the metal stairs trying to clear his mind. Four keeps his eyes up as he walks across the glass ceiling, hating the sensation of seeing the ground so far below his feet. As he leads them through the area, he notices quite a few Dauntless are sparing and wonders how they can do that in this awful place. He proceeds to head into the fear landscape room and turns to address the initiates.

"This is the room that houses the feat landscape simulation. It has been disabled for our practice time and the next time you see it, it will be much different. As you've gone through your simulations, the computer stores information about your worst fears and will present you with a series of virtual obstacles. Some will be fears you have already faced and some will be new. The difference in this simulation is you will be aware which will allow for you to keep your wits about you to go through it. The number of fears you have in your landscape varies according to how many you have."

"This third stage focuses on mental preparation, because it requires you to control both your emotions and your body, using the physical abilities we've trained so hard on with the emotional mastery you learned in stage two." As Four talks, he stops his eyes on Tris, talking directly too her. "Next week you will go through your fear landscape as quickly as possible in front of a panel of leaders. That will be your final test, which determines your rankings for stage three. Just as stage two is weighted more heavily than one, stage three is weighted the heaviest. You can get past each obstacle in one of two ways, find a way to calm down or find a way to face your fears either which will force the simulation to move on. I suggest you take this week to consider your fears and figure out how to face them" Just as Four was getting ready to move on, Peter speaks up and it takes all his willpower to not punch him. "That doesn't seem fair. What if someone has seven fears and someone else has twenty?"

Four stares him down hard and then lets out an uncharacteristic laugh in front of the initiates. "Do you want to talk to me about what's fair?" Peter's face pales as all the initiates move aside for Four when he walks toward him. Four gets right in his face and using his deadliest voice says, "I understand why you are worried Peter. The events of last night certainly proved you are a miserable coward." Four hears the crowd whisper and realizes he is going to give away who saved Tris but he no longer cares. "So now we all know, that you are afraid of short, skinny girls from Abnegation." Four smiles as he walks away watching Will put his arm around Tris again, resisting the urge to wrench if off from her and pull her back to his room.

Four waits near the dorm, watching as the initiates head back into the space. Will and Christina are always by Tris' side and he is somewhat relieved but wants to be the one to protect her. He stiffens at the sight of Al walking into the room and edges closer listening through the door. "Tris, can I talk to you?" Four clenches his fists to keep from pounding that idiot's face in, what right does he think he has to ever talk to her again. He hears Will speak up, "Are you kidding me? You don't get to come near her again, ever." "I won't hurt you, I never wanted to. Please forgive me, I don't know what's wrong with me, please…" Four is about ready to step in when he hears her voice, filled with venom." "Stay away from me, " she says quietly but then finds her voice, "Never come near me again and if you do, I swear to God, I will kill you, you coward." Four walks away smiling at her strength. He is glad she not only has people willing to protect her but she is strong enough to stand up for herself as well.


	20. Chapter 20: Closer

The control room was his home last night, watching the camera to make sure she was safe in the dorms. Four spent his entire night there, consuming cup after cup of coffee, keeping his eyes peeled for any trouble. Once morning started to arrive, he decided she would be relatively safe and headed out to burn off some caffeine. He went on a shortened jog, wanting to be in the compound if any trouble started. By the time he got back, he was well on his way to crashing and barely made it back to his bed before he fell asleep. He inhaled her scent as his eyes closed to the world, trusting she would make good choices during the day.

* * *

For the second time during this initiation, he was woken up by Lauren pounding on his door. "If you don't open this door in 5 seconds, I'm coming in whether you are dressed or not." Four groggily got out of bed and was almost to the door when it burst open. He saw Lauren standing there with a tear stained face and knew they had their first chasm causality. "Who?" She looked at him with dead eyes, "Al." Four couldn't believe it, he had given up. The trauma from attacking Tris must have been the final straw, except he assumed she would take it personally and blame herself. He had to find her. "Let's go." He grabbed Lauren by the arm and they rushed down to the Pit just as Eric was finishing up his speech.

He saw Tris head down an abandoned hallway, _'Hadn't she learned her lesson?!'_ Four thought angrily. He left Lauren with a group of other Dauntless and followed Tris. He saw her shaking her head in anger and knew she was blaming herself. "Tris." She jumped and turned around facing him, tears streaking her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be paying your respects?" She sounded bitter and angry. "Shouldn't you?" Four approached her cautiously, not wanting her to run or do anything crazy. "Can't pay respect when you don't have any," she replied letting her anger out, "I didn't mean that." She slumped and continued her rant which Four allowed, wanting her to get it out of her system.

"This is ridiculous! He kills himself and Eric calls him brave? The same person who wanted you to throw knives at his head. Brave?! He wasn't brave, he was depressed and a coward and he almost killed me. Is that what Dauntless respects these days?" She was up and pacing and Four was getting dizzy watching her. "What did you want them to do Tris? Condemn him? He's not here anymore to hear it so what's the point?" "It's not about him Four! It's about everyone watching who now thinks they are brave by jumping to their death. This would never have happened in Abnegation! Never!" Tris was shouting now and Four was very aware of the camera behind her and knew someone would either be watching now or later. He had to calm her down. "Careful Tris," he warned but she wasn't listening.

"Is that all you can say? Do you say anything else?" Four grabs her arm and drags her away from the fountain, trying to distance them from the camera as much as possible. He leans in really close to her so only she can hear and see the words he's saying. "I'm only going to say this one more time, they are watching you, _You, _in particular." She is beyond reason right now and attempts to free herself from his grasp. "Let go of me." Four's fingers spring apart and he backs away, not enjoying the trapped looked on her face, it reminds him of his mother too much. She glares at him and spits back, "Are they watching you too?" Four refuses to answer that question, mostly because he has no idea if they know about him but they definitely know about her. "I keep trying to help you but you refuse to be helped." He lets his frustration show at her stubbornness. "Oh yeah, your help! Let's see, you stabbed me in the ear with a knife while taunting me and yelling at me more than anyone. Thanks so much for your concern."

Four knew she was angry right now but it hurt that she didn't bring the fact that he saved her life. Instead of taking the high ground, he allowed that anger to take over. "Taunting you? You mean when I threw the knives? I wasn't taunting you, I was reminding you if you failed, someone else would take your place. You are from Abnegation, and when you act selfless you are at your best."

Tris' anger disappeared immediately and she physically slumped. He was getting frustrated with himself and the fact that he couldn't tell her how he felt, why he pushed her so hard. He couldn't lose her, he wasn't helping her for herself, he was helping her so he didn't have to go through watching her fail. "If I were you, I would work harder at pretending that selfless impulse is going away because if the wrong people discover it, it won't be good for you."

Just as quick as it left, the anger in her eyes was back. "Why do you care so much Four? My intentions aren't a threat, they make me who I am." Four presses a hand on the wall near her head and leans into it as he whispers, "Intentions are the only thing they care about. They want you to act and think a certain way so they can control you." He watched her study him and saw her pull herself up a bit so she seemed taller. "I don't understand, why do they care what I think as long as I'm acting the way they want."

"You are acting that way now but what if that Abnegation impulse overrides your Dauntless ones. They've taught you how to shoot a gun and fight, they want total control over that." Tris looks him square in the eyes, "What I still don't understand is why you feel the need to take care of me. I might not need you to do that."

Four is getting really frustrated with her, unable to fully explain himself out of fear of how she will react. He tries to tell her without really telling her, how he sees her. "You think my first instinct is to protect you? Because you are small, or a girl, or a Stiff? You are wrong Tris." Four leans in really close and wraps his fingers around her chin, being as bold as he's ever been, raising her face so it's inches from his. He has to make her understand he sees her as his equal not a little child. He can feel the electricity flow between them and finally he sees the truth in Tris' eyes, she feels it too. "My first instinct is to push you until you break, just to see how how I can press. But I resist it." He is so close he can almost taste her, breathing in her amazing smell. She whispers to him, eyes focused on his lips, "Why is that your first instinct?"

Four swallows hard as he answers, "Fear doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up." He releases her chin but doesn't move away, he can't just yet. Being this close to her has his body singing and he can't give it up. "Sometimes I just want to see you wide awake." His hand grazes her jaw and neck. He feels her place her hands on his hips and his entire thought process is lost. She pulls himself against his chest and wraps his arms around him and his eyes glaze over with the intensity her touch brings him. He lifts his hands and places them on the small of her back, pulling her closer, needing her closer, while running his other hand through her hair. How many times had he imagined holding her this very way and here he was.

She looked up at him and asked, "Should I be crying? I don't get why it broke him and not me." Four just stared at her, amazed she could wonder this. She was so strong, he didn't think anything could break her. "What do I know about tears?" Four asks her and she responds by pressing her head into his shoulder. He heard her mumble into his shoulder, "Do you think he would still be alive if I forgave him?" His heart broke, finally understanding her anger, not a friend for giving up but at herself for holding a grudge. She was angry at herself for speaking to him like she did in the dorms, she thinks she drove him over that edge.

Four doesn't want to lie to her and he doesn't know what drove Al to jump so he is completely honest with her. "I don't know." He pulls her closer and she tightens her grip as well. He feels her sigh into his chest and everything is right in the world with him. She leans back to look in his eyes, "Four, what faction are you from?" Four is so close to sharing all his secrets with her but not here, not out in the open. "It doesn't matter right now Tris. This is where I am now, we have to remember that." Four feels the moment again, here is his opportunity to kiss her, she is so close and he knows now she wants that. But his mind tells him to be smart, he never knows who is watching. So he settles for the next best thing, he presses his lips to her forehead and leaves them there, enjoying how close they are. He never thought this would happen, that he would be able to have her like this but he felt it. She was his now as he has been hers since she climbed out of that net.


	21. Chapter 21: Fears

After they split up, Four took some time to analyze what happened with them. He realized that Tris felt something for him and that made him very happy. He also realized they can't move forward the same way they have been, something has to break, they've been too close, shared too many emotional situations together. The last thing he realized was that he wanted to be completely honest with her, no more secrets.

He took the next day to prepare, going through everything he has in his mind, deciding where to start. He formed a plan, how he's going to get her alone. He asks Zeke to go scouting for him, find out where she is. He can only see her at the right moment or he will spill everything wherever she is. Zeke comes back and says she is at the chasm with Christina and Will, dropping in those awful reports Erudite has released about Abnegation. Just one more thing she has to endure, her old faction being dragged through the mud by Erudite, her brother's new faction. Four thanks Zeke and heads out, knowing where he is going to take her and what he is going to do.

Four is waiting in the hallway near them, wanting to get this timing just right. He wants her to see him without him approaching them. He hears Christina say they should head to bed so he steps out and walks toward the ladder that goes into the glass ceiling. He heads straight up the ladder, assuming Tris will follow if she sees him. As he is ascending, he hears her tell them she has to talk to me, he knew she would follow, especially after last night. Their relationship shifted after holding each other so intimately last night, they felt a pull toward each other, at least Four did, but he assumed Tris did as well.

He heard her feet on the ladder and smiled, excited to take the next step forward. He knows mostly curiosity has brought her up the ladder, but all he needs is her up here. He sees her running to catch up with him, breathless, cheeks flushed. He stands outside the door to the fear landscape room, intending on showing her why he is here and where he came from.

"Since you are here, you might as well come in with me," he says acting surprised, even though that was his plan all along. He sees Tris hesitate, "Into your fear landscape? I can do that?" "Yes." With that Four turns and walks into the room and she follows immediately. "The serum connects you to the program but the program decides which landscape to go through. It's currently set up for mine." Her eyes looked surprised that he is finally letting her in, after all this time. She asks hesitantly, "You would let me see that?" He smiles at her, glad to hear the excitement hidden in her voice. "Why else do you think I'm going in? I have some things I want to show you."

Four pulls out the syringe and Tris automatically tilts her head for him. He brushes her neck and sticks in the needle as gently as possible, yet she still winces. Four wants this to be completely about trust, so he hands her the box with the other syringe, offering to let her inject him. Her eyes widen at the trust as she grabs the syringe. "I've never done this before," she says as she takes it out of the box. Four motions for the spot on his neck and he watches her stand on her tiptoes to inject the serum. He's done this so many times he doesn't even flinch, but just stares into her eyes as she finishes. Four holds out his hand for Tris and relishes the feeling of her fingers sliding between his. They enter the room and Four turns back to her just before the serum takes effect. "See if you can find out why they call me Four." Tris tilts her head at this comment and asks, "What's your real name?" Four smirks, she is so insatiable when it comes to information, one thing isn't good enough for her. Lucky for her, he plans on sharing everything that makes him the person he is with her tonight. "See if you can figure that out too."

Four feels the simulation take over and closes his eyes as the ground leaves him. As the air becomes stronger, Four's body becomes enveloped in fear and it's all he can do to stand. He removes his hand from Tris' and instead wraps his arm around her, using her to ground his thoughts. She kept his fear away on the Ferris wheel and she can do it again here. He has trouble breathing so he squeezes her tighter to him. He opens his eyes to look at Tris and her face is filled with wonder at the view but all he can see is her. She turns to him, "We have to jump off don't we." Four just nods. "Ok, on three, ready?" Tris counts down and leaps off, pulling him with her, and just as they are about to hit the ground, the simulation has moved on. He has never conquered the heights fear that fast, she is just what he needed.

They hit the ground and before Four can answer Tris as to what is next, the walls close in. He feels Tris push into him as the walls snap shut. The space becomes very narrow and Four has to pull his arms into this chest to find enough space. As the ceiling slams on, the space is only big enough for Four yet Tris is smashed in here with him as well. Four can't breathe, the extra body in here takes up the space he would normally us to calm down. Tris must notice his inability to breathe. She reaches out for him, "It's okay, here-" She grabs his arms and guides them around her body and now he is unable to breathe for two reasons. Four melts into her, clutching at her back and pressing his face close to hears. He feels her cheeks grow hot and knows his body is reacting the same way. "This is the first time I'm glad I'm so small," she laughs, breaking the tension. Four can't even answer her, between the fear of confinement and Tris being so close, he has lost his voice.

He can see Tris analyzing him and finally she speaks very calmly, "We can't break out of this one so we are going to have to face it. We need to let the space get as small as possible, making it worse will make it better right?" She looks at him and he whispers, "Yes." "Let's crouch then." Tris squeezes his waist, signaling him to slide down with her and he flinches as the walls slide in another inch. Tris' mind is clearer than his so he lets her do all the moving and adjusting. She turns her body and rolls up in a ball and wraps his body around her, their limbs intermixing. Four can barely breathe as the walls move in even closer and he becomes very aware of how close Tris is to him. "This is worse, so much worse." Tris shushes him and says, "It's ok, just put your arms around me." He slips his arms around her, not arguing, and slides closer to her.

"Four, the simulation is responding to you. It's not moving on because your heart is still pounding. You need to calm it down." He has no idea how to do that. Between being in the smallest space he has ever been and having Tris so close, his heart will never stop pounding. His face is close to her ear so he whispers, "It's that easy huh?" He hears her breathing become ragged but a smile stretches across her face. "Most boys would enjoy being trapped so close with a girl." As she says it she looks in his eyes and he's sure she knows how he feels. Unfortunately, he would rather be this close to her in any other situation. "Not claustrophobic people Tris!" She responds to his outburst by grabbing his hand and placing it over her heart, dangerously close to other parts of her body he has dreamed about. "Feel my heartbeat, can you feel it?" Four is in disbelief she is this comfortable with his hands on her. "Yes." He feels his heartbeat pick up pace as she tells him, "Feel how steady mine is?" Tris asks. Four responds sarcastically, because her heart beat is not slow at all, "It's racing Tris." She responds immediately, "Well that has nothing to do with the box."

He sees her wince, having revealed too many feelings, and his heart soars. She just admitted to what he has been hoping for all these weeks. "Every time you feel me breath, I want you to breathe." "Ok." He closes his eyes and focuses on her breath, the rising and falling of her chest. They are breathing steady when she asks him the next question. "Where does this fear come from? Maybe it will help to talk about it." Four takes a deep breath, getting ready to reveal the secrets he's held onto for so long. "It's from my childhood, one of the many punishments that made my childhood so fantastic. The tiny closet upstairs was like a prison for me." That is all Four can reveal at this point, the fear taking up too much of his mental abilities.

Tris takes a deep breath, "Ok, let's talk about something else. Ask me anything." Four matches her deep breath and prepares himself for the answer he doesn't want to hear but hopes for the one he's been waiting to hear for so long. "Why is your heart racing Tris?"

He sees her take another deep breath, "Well, I….I barely know you. I barely know you and I'm crammed up against you in a box, Four. What do you think?" She just admitted it, maybe didn't say it out loud but he knows now that she has feelings for him. Four takes a deep breath and asks another question, "If we were in your fear landscape, would I be in it?" Tris quickly answers, "I'm not afraid of you."

Four answers back just as quickly, "Of course you aren't. But that's not what I meant." He laughs again, and the walls break apart, leaving them in a circle of light. Four sighs and lifts his arms from her body, sad that moment is over but glad to be out of the box. His body feels cold from where hers was pressed against him and he misses the absence already. "Good thing you didn't get Candor on your test, you are a terrible liar," he jokes with her. She turned to face him with a smile on her face, "My aptitude test ruled out Candor really quickly, my lying was never an issue."

Four was taken aback, basically she just admitted to him she was Divergent. "The aptitude test tells you nothing." She gave him a curious glance, "Your test results weren't Dauntless?" Four feels his heart start to pound again and knows this is another moment to tell the truth, trust her with his secrets. "Not exactly, I…" before he can finish, he sees her over Tris' shoulder. The woman that is always in his landscape, the moment he dreads the most. Tris sees he is distracted and turns to follow his eyes. The woman has a gun pointed at them and Four immediately steps in front of Tris. He is standing next to the table with the gun on it and he gingerly picks it up. Tris realizes this fear, "You have to kill her?"

"Every single time. Even though I know she isn't real, she looks real and it feels real." Four picks up the gun, dread filling him, as he raises the gun to point at her head. He closes an eye, squeezes the trigger, sets down the gun and moves on quickly. The last fear is the one he has been the most nervous about showing Tris but there is no going back now. After this moment she will know who he is and he hopes she doesn't pity him like all the others who have found out his identity. He has become stronger because of it, not weaker. "Here we go," he mutters.

Four sees the dark figure moving ahead of them and takes a deep breath. He emerges in his grey clothes and Four sees Tris realize his deepest fear and secret as fear fills him. "Marcus," she whispers and looks at him for an explanation. He says one simple sentence that reveals it all to her, "Here's where you learn my name." Tris looks surprised but before she can say anything, Marcus speaks his name. "Tobias." Tris gasps as he pulls the belt from behind his back. Marcus continues, saying the words Four has grown to hate, "This is for your own good."

Four feels himself transform into the small boy he was when his father used to beat him, mentally slipping back into that time of his life before he learned to defend himself. As soon as Marcus steps toward him, a dozen more appear and Four loses all sight of Tris, forgetting she is even there. All that fills him is the fear of the belt, fear of the beating that is for sure to come. This is his greatest weakness and she is experiencing it first hand. He sees the belt raise in the air and throws his arms up to protect himself. Four waits for the stinging pain of the belt but never feels it. He opens his eyes to see her body standing in front of him, shielding him from the blow. The welt appears on her arm but he sees she has taken Marcus' belt. She turns on him, striking him with the belt and as Four watches Marcus lunge at Tris, something awakens in him. It's not the typical protection he feels whenever she is in danger it's more than that. It's a need, coursing through his entire body, to keep her away from him at all costs, to never let her experience the terror that is his father. Four stands, pushes Tris behind him, and stares Marcus down. All at once the Marcus' vanish and they are standing in the landscape room, having completed his cycle.

Tris looks at him in disbelief, putting all the pieces together as Four waits for her to speak. He's revealed his whole self to her and he has nothing he can say right now, it's up to her how she is going to react to it. She quietly says, "That's it? Those were your worst fears, there were only four…" She stops and looks him in the eye, understanding where his name came from, looking at him with the strangest expression. He smiles back at her wanting, with every part of his being, for her to accept him for who he is. He feels so exposed, so vulnerable, he never put any thought into what it would feel like if she rejected him, didn't accept who he was. He realizes she isn't looking at him in pity but in awe, respectfully admiring the man who is standing in front of her and it's all he can do to contain himself. He walks over and grabs her elbow, pulling her toward him. He needs her in his arms right now, needs to continue on the path they are headed down. This is the time, he feels it.

He brushes his lips against her cheek and he tightens his grip on her. His body is so overcome with emotion, from facing his fears in the landscape, to revealing all his secrets to her, and finally to having her accept him, his brain is overwhelmed with the situation. He buries his face in her neck, relaxing there, enjoying their closeness. She loops her arms around him and whispers in his ear, "It's over, we got through it." He pulls back and looks at her, sliding his fingers through her hair tucking it behind her ear. He stares contently into her eyes, fingers still moving through her hair. Four breathes her in deeply and releases the emotion inside of him. "You got me through it, you were brave."

Tris' eyes match the passion in his and she replies to him, "It's easy to be brave when they aren't my fears." Four hears the admiration in her voice and knows he can't let her out of his company tonight, he wants to stay by her. He moves away from her but keeps a tight grip on her hand, not letting her slip away tonight. "Come on," he says, "I have something else to show you." With that Four leads her toward the Pit, wanting to reveal one more thing to her that he's kept to himself for so long.


	22. Chapter 22: Chasm

Four's heart soars as he leads Tris around the edge of the Pit, toward the hidden passageway behind the waterfall. He feels the pressure of her hand in his and never wants to let it go. As his mind drifts to a life with Tris, his fingers start to rub random patterns in her hand and he feels her shiver. His heart is pounding at what he's revealed to her today and he feels light at her acceptance of his past. He hears her clear her throat, "So, four fears?" He smiles and glances at her curious expression, amazed she held it in this long. "Four fears then, four fears now. They haven't changed so I keep going in, but I haven't made any progress."

Tris smiles at him, "Someone once told me you can't be fearless, remember? You still care about things, people, and your life." Four responds, nodding along with her logic, "I know." He pulls her through the narrow passageway that only he knows about and he feels another question coming on from her. "You were going to tell me about your test results remember? What were they?" Four scratches the back of his neck, unsure of sharing this secret, one he's been so afraid to say out loud. "Does it matter?"

Determined as ever, Tris pushes him and he knows he can't escape her. "Yes, I want to know." Four loves how strong she is, holding her own and staying true to herself. He has watched too many girls at Dauntless change who they were just for a boy's attention and he loves that she refuses that. "You are quite demanding." Four stops and lets her take in where they are, seeing her wide eyes explore the bottom of the chasm. He continues and pulls her around small ridges and gaps and finds the flat rock he always sits on. He sits down and leaves room for her to sit next to him and she pulls herself down. He releases her hand slowly, not wanting to lose the contact but feeling very nervous about where the conversation is headed.

Four looks Tris in the eyes before he answers her question. "These are things I don't tell people, not even my friends in this much detail." Four takes a deep breath and lets go of the last secret he's holding on to, "My result was expected, Abnegation." As he says this he sees her face fall, realizing she was hoping he was like her, Divergent. In a way Four was, he had chosen to leave, move out of the faction he was in and in essence fight the system.

Tris looked at him still looking deflated from his news, "But you chose Dauntless anyway?" She looked so hopeful, which is why he proceeded to break down the walls he had been building for so long. "Out of necessity." Tris was studying him closely now, with that piercing look she was so good at. He couldn't say anything else, his mind overcome by emotion from what he had escaped by coming here.

"You had to get away from your dad?" Tris correctly guessed. She was so perceptive, Four always felt that she could see right through him. She continued with her examination of him, "Is that why you don't want to be a leader? If you were, you might have to see him again?" He smiled at her, loving how she knew him so well in the short time since they met. Four answered her question with complete honesty, "That and I have been feeling lately that I don't exactly belong here either, not with the way Dauntless is now." Tris' face fills with shock and Four eagerly waits for her to explain. "But you're, incredible!" Tris exclaims and then realizes her slip up, still uncomfortable with showing so much emotion towards him, "I mean by Dauntless standards. The fact that you only have four fears, how could you not belong here?"

Four shurgs and brushes off her exclamation of his talent, not sure how to accept it without looking like a total crazy person. He secretly surges with pride at the idea that she noticed and has thought about how talented he is. He responds after he has his emotions in check, "I feel that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different, after training all your life to forget yourself, even when you are in danger, it is your first instinct. I believe I could be in Abnegation just as easily, if it weren't for where I came from."

He sees Tris thinking it over and feels she doesn't agree but doesn't push it. He enjoys slowly learning about each other, letting each secret out piece by piece. Finally she responds to him, "Well I left Abnegation because I wasn't selfless enough, no matter how hard I tried." Four had no idea what he was talking about, she was the most selfless person he knew. Who else let someone throw knives at them to save their friends, or blamed themselves when someone took their own life, or jumped in front of a belt to save someone they barely knew. Four had to make her understand how he saw her, how amazing she was.

"That is not entirely true Tris. You let me throw knives at you to save Al and you jumped in front of my father to protect me without even thinking. Those are amazing selfless feats that were pure instinct for you." Too late he realized how much he was paying attention to her throughout initiation and his outright confession of that fact to her now. He couldn't take it back and part of him was happy she finally knew. Her face let him know she didn't miss his confession and wasn 't going to let it go.

"You've been paying close attention haven't you?" Tris smirked. Four had no way out of this but tried anyway, knowing she wouldn't let him get away with it. "I like to observe people," he said and already felt her laughing.

"Good thing you didn't choose Candor, you are a terrible liar Four," Tris said struggling to keep a straight face. He just stared at her and realized he could stay down here with her forever, just being a boy and girl, free to explore the growing feelings between them. Four felt so free that he allowed the careful self control he normally maintained around Tris slide away like the water flowing beneath their feet. He had enough of the hiding and worrying; no one could control him here, not even Eric.

He leaned close to her face and laid it all on the line, feeling everything he had been holding in for so long bubble to the surface, pushing to come out. "Fine," he whispered while holding her eyes with a fierce gaze, "I watched you because I like you. And it's nice to hear my name again, so you can stop calling me Four." He saw the surprise cross her face at his proclamation, clear as day, she wasn't expecting him to proclaim his feelings to her so boldly. Then he saw something that made his stomach flip inside of him, a feeling he normally associated with high places. The look in her eyes told him she felt the same way but then a spark appeared and he knew she wasn't going to let that out easily.

Four saw a blush appear across her cheeks, followed by a smirk. "But you're older than I am _Tobias." _He almost kissed her when he heard his name, not having heard it for two years. It sounded so good coming from her, cementing the bond they were forming today. He couldn't stop the smile from stretching across his face as he answered her back playfully, "Yes, that whopping two year age gap really is _insurmountable_, isn't it?" In Abnegation, it would probably be frowned upon, although everything they've done up to this point would have been so Four didn't really care.

Tris continued, building on his previous comment. He just hoped she wasn't trying to let him down easy, there was no easy way out of the feelings he had for her. If she rejected him, he would leave and become factionless today, unable to face a world without her touch. Tris got his attention by saying, "I'm not trying to be self-deprecating, I just don't get it. I'm younger, I'm not pretty, I-" Four laughs at her response, a laugh of disbelief. It wasn't that she didn't like him, he knew she did, it's that she didn't think she was good enough for him. He knew girls found him attractive, they threw themselves at him all the time but she was the only girl that had ever caused him to stop and take notice.

She took his laugh to mean something else and he immediately regretted it. "Don't pretend," she said, "You know I'm not. I'm not ugly but I'm certainly not pretty." Four realized he wasn't going to win an argument of yes and no so he took a different approach. "Fine," he started, "You're not pretty. So? I like how you look and you are deadly smart. You're brave and when you found out about Marcus, you didn't look at me like a kicked puppy." That was the best he had, to convince her that she was the only girl he saw and she had affected his life in more ways than he could say.

"Well you aren't." Her eyes flashed at him, telling him again how strong she thought he was. That was all Four's body needed. He felt himself moving forward and couldn't stop himself if he had wanted to, which was not the case. All the reasons to hold back left his mind as he leaned in and brushed her lips with his. A jolt went through his body, waking up every nerve like they had never been before. He used to love the rush he got when he fired a weapon perfectly or threw a knife accurately but nothing matched this.

He knew the river was near them but he couldn't hear it over his pounding heart when he pulled back. He saw the passion mirrored in her eyes and smiled. He smiled at where he was today, finally finding what was missing in his life. He pressed his mouth to hers again, never wanting the feeling to end, and felt her stiffen slightly. He realized this may be the first time for both of them to share something so intimate with each other. If they were both still in Abnegation, they wouldn't even be allowed to share this.

Four wanted to show her how much he cared for her so he takes her face in his hands and kisses her firmer, more certain. This is why he was compelled to stay one last year, something kept him here to find her and he was never letting her go. He feels her arm wrap around him and her hand slide up his neck. His whole body was on fire, a blazing trail following her hand as it snaked into his hair. The kiss continued and Four put everything he had into it, wanting her to know how much she meant to him. Finally, reluctantly, he pulls away and lifts her with him, taking her hand.

As they exited the chasm, he saw a different future stretch out before him, a safer one bathed in grey, where Tris would have been his wife. As they leave, he knows he has changed, a different person from the boy who entered the chasm only minutes prior. He was no longer held down by fear but awoken by fire.

The last thing he thought as they left was how they would have to proceed carefully until the initiation was over, fighting against how much he just wanted to grab her and kiss her again.


	23. Chapter 23: Control

**Sorry it took me so long to update, this was a long one! Enjoy!**

* * *

As the two exit the chasm, Four sees Eric coming down the hallway. "Tris, we have to split up but I'll see you tomorrow ok?" Tris looks shocked, as if what just happened didn't mean anything to him. Four had no time to set her straight so he gave her hand a squeeze and reassured her. "Tris, I can't tell you how much tonight meant to me but for right now let's split up to save questions ok?" He quickly gave her a peck on the lips and rushed off, hoping Eric hadn't noticed them exit the space together. She still had her final test left and he didn't want to give Eric any reason to kick her out of Dauntless.

* * *

As Four got back to his room, he realized the smile that was currently plastered across his face may have his initiates questioning the change in his demeanor so he took everything he felt for Tris, every moment they have shared and went through them one last time, enjoying every touch and kiss before locking them away so he could finish his job. As easy as it was in his room tonight, he knew he would be fighting a whole new battle tomorrow when he saw her face again. He allowed himself to drift off to sleep as he dreamed of her lips on his.

* * *

The next morning he woke up, went for his run, and cleared his head of all the emotions from last night. Last night he went to sleep as Tobias, a boy in love, today he woke up as Four, an instructor trying to survive the last days before he could leave these emotional walls behind for good. He wished he hadn't had to leave Tris the way he did last night, that they could have talked about a smart way to move forward with this but he assumed she would figure out to keep it quiet. He quickly cut his hair, before heading down to the dining hall, a little shorter than he normally does. The only act of rebellion he could afford right now.

He made his way into the dining hall and immediately saw her, his body more in tune with hers than before. He sees her smile at him and wave but he can't return it. It breaks his heart to turn his back on her, as if his feelings meant nothing, and sit down next to Zeke. Laruen pulls him out of his thoughts, "Any chance they can use your fear landscape Four?" The table laughs at the joke, everyone knowing his landscape is off limits to training. "Sure Lauren, and what are we going to do with the other 8 initiates?" She smacks him and heads out to get the computer set up for her landscape.

* * *

Everyone gathers in the landscape room as Four remembers what it was like to have Tris go through his with her. What he wouldn't give to hold her hand right now, having her so close but being unable to touch her was more torture than before. After sharing what they did, Four finds his self control being tested more than ever to keep his hands to himself. Lauren addresses the group as Four tries to keep his expression neutral.

"You will go through my fear landscape today, practicing how to calm your body in the simulation. You will each be assigned one of my fears to practice with. When you enter your own, you will find most of you will have between ten to fifteen, that is the average number." An initiate speaks up interrupting her.

"What's the lowest number someone has gotten?" Lauren turns toward him while Four breathes in slowly, not drawing attention to himself. "Four." He can feel all the initiates looking around, in awe, and Tris' eyes on him. He can't look at her, not without exposing all his secrets to the group. He hates that he has to do this to her, ignore her this way without explaining himself. He only hopes she will allow him to explain later before that temper of hers kicks in.

Four watches as Tris is hooked up to the computer and is taken into the simulation. On the screen he realizes she has gotten Lauren's fear of being kidnapped and there couldn't be a worse fear for her to get. He watches the simulation feed off Tris' fear as the scene changes into the chasm. He hears her screaming and grips the chair tightly to keep from stopping the simulation and taking her in his arms. It's all he can do to watch her relive that horrible night. '_Calm yourself down Tris, you know this isn't real, you can do it.'_ Four thinks, hoping she can overcome it.

After a few minutes, he realizes it isn't going to happen and his rage at what those boys almost did takes over. "Stop," he commands Lauren and the simulation is immediately turned off. As the lights come on, he sees her sitting there shaking, crouched on her knees, hands pressed to her face. He knows right now she is chastising herself for failing and all he wants to do is take her in his arms.

His anger at the fact that he can't comfort her, as well as the memories of that night, take over and expresses itself in the worst possible way. He becomes angry at her, for not being strong like he knows she is, and his first instinct is to push her to her limits. He steps forward, wrenching her out of her fear.

"What the hell was that Stiff?" She looks up at him with defeat in her eyes, something he hasn't seen there before. She can't even answer him and it causes him to push further, react in a way that he is instantly ashamed of. "Get yourself together! This is pathetic!" Four doesn't even know who he is as he chastises her in front of the group. The fire snaps back in her eyes and she fires back at him, "Shut up!" She smashes her fist into his face and luckily she can't throw a very hard punch on someone so much taller than her. His face burned as she ran out and he wished he could run after her to apologize. He realizes too late that he took it too far, attempting to mask his concern for her behind his tough instructor demeanor. Four's head began pounding at the amount of tension their situation was causing him. He had no idea how to move forward without endangering both of their lives.

* * *

Four heads to the control room to find Zeke watching the cameras very closely. "What were you thinking man? Why did you yell at her like that?" Four just shook his head, realizing Zeke saw it all. "I have no idea how to proceed, " Four explains, "I care about her so much but can't let any of that show. I have to be the same instructor I always have been but I find I'm overcompensating. This is impossible. Did you see where she went?" Zeke pulled up a chair next to him, patting the seat. "Sit down, she left the compound about 10 minutes ago so I'm watching all the entrances. It would be better for one of us to find her before Eric does. She shouldn't be out on her own." They continue to stare at the monitor for the whole day, Four becoming more panicked by the minute. He is unsure of what he will do if she never comes back. He figured he will check Abnegation first and then wander until he finds her. The city isn't that large. Just as he is planning his search, Zeke sits up quickly. "There she is, coming in the front door. Oh shit man, Eric's there." Four is already out of his seat, running as fast as he can to the front.

How was he going to save her from this? He would need a really good excuse for Eric to let this one go. Just as he rounds the corner, he hears Eric approach her. Four slows and waits for the right moment to reveal himself. "Welcome back Tris," Eric sneers at her. Four balls his hands up into fists to keep from smashing Eric's face in.

"What exactly where you thinking?" Tris is unable to answer, Four knows she is bright enough to realize she can't lie her way out of this situation, good thing a plan is forming in his head. The only problem is he is going to have to give Eric some true information to make him believe the lie.

Eric continues, "I am having a hard time not thinking you are a traitor. Have you ever heard the words 'faction before blood?" Four hears the hunger in his voice, a hunger to hurt Tris to essentially hurt Four. He heard Eric walk closer to Tris and Four had to hold on the wall to stay where he was.

"Are you unsatisfied with the life you have here? Do you regret your choice? I would like to hear an explanation for why you betrayed Dauntless, yourself, and me by entering another faction's compound?" Eric demanded and Tris' voice faltered. Four knew she was panicking, attempting to find a way out of this situation.

Eric continued, enjoying every minute of tormenting Tris and Four was about ready to make his appearance. "If you cannot explain, I may be forced to reconsider your rank. Or because you seem so attached to your old faction, perhaps your friends' ranks need reconsideration as well. Maybe that will force the Abnegation in you to think your actions through more thoroughly. Four couldn't stand there any longer, this was completely his fault and he has to fix it. If he had just learned how to control his temper, she would never have left. Four opened the door and pretended to be surprised to find them there.

"What are you doing?" Four askes Eric, keeping his eyes off of Tris for the moment. Eric venomously looked at Four and spit out, "Leave the room." Four noticed his appearance had hindered Eric's control over his emotions, causing him to sound more like the Eric that he knows.

"No." Four said to him. "She's just a foolish girl, there's no need to interrogate her." He saw Eric look at him curiously before slipping behind the mask of the bully.

"Just a foolish girl?" Eric sneers at Four, "If she were foolish, she wouldn't be ranked first then would she?" Four pinches the bridge of his nose in disgust of Eric's stubbornness. He also uses this as a distraction so he can look quickly at Tris, trying to tell her with his eyes to play along, be vulnerable.

She must have gotten his message because she fell into character right away. "I was embarrassed and lost my head. I didn't know what to do." He watched her in awe, proud of her ability to lie, something she must have been practicing. "I tried to….and…." she shook her head and stopped talking.

Four took over where she left off, complementing her act of embarrassment with the perfect amount of arrogance. "She tried to kiss me. I rejected her and she went running off like a 5-year old. There is nothing to blame except her hormones and stupidity."

Eric looked at Four and then at Tris and began to laugh, too loudly for Four's taste. Eric turned to Tris and Four tried to give her a look of apology over his shoulder but she wouldn't look at him. "Isn't he a little too old for you Tris?" She plays the vulnerable girl part perfectly, wiping away tears from her eyes. "Can I go now?" she asks Eric.

"Fine, but you are not allowed to leave the compound without supervision again," Eric says to her. He turns to Four, "And you, take better care that none of the others leave this compound, or try to kiss you." With that he turns and leaves, slamming the door as he leaves.

Four turns to Tris and sees her step out the door. He gives her a moment to gather herself and then steps out after her. Four sees her sitting on the pavement and as he walks toward her, she stands and faces him, face filled with anger. "Are you all right?" Four asks her.

"Well," Tris starts, "Firse I got yelled at in front of everyone, then I had to chat with a woman who's trying to destroy my old faction and then Eric almost kicked me out of Dauntless. It's been a great day Four." He shakes his head, disappointed to hear her use that name. He is disappointed in his own behavior that lead her to this point and that it seems he lost her trust.

She continued which made him feel guiltier and guiltier. "Why do you care anyway? You are either a cruel instructor or a concerned boyfriend." Her body immediately tensed up at the word but Four's body relaxed. She still trusted him, she was just wounded from his lack of self control. He needed to set her straight about his behavior.

"I am not cruel, I was protecting you this morning. How do you think the others would have reacted if they found out we were…" Four sighed and took a gentler approach. Yelling had gotten him into this mess in the first place, "You would never win. They would always call your ranking a result of my favoritism rather than your skill."

Four resisted the urge to pull her into his arms, they had to work this out first. Tris' anger seemed to deflate a little before she responded, "You didn't have to insult me to prove something to them." Four knew she was right, that he overcompensated but he wasn't going to admit that right now.

"And you didn't have to run off to your brother just because I hurt you." He rubbed his neck, hoping she wouldn't get upset at the comment but it was true. She endangered herself too much by leaving, especially going to Erudite where he was sure Eric had connections. "It worked didn't it, my yelling at you?" Four asked.

"At my expense, how do you think it makes me look when you yell that way, it just gives Peter more things to taunt me about." Tris' mouth was turned down and Four needed to fix that.

Four knew it was time for him to apologize, "I didn't think it would affect you this way, sometimes I forget that I can hurt you, that you are capable of being hurt." The look in Tris' face tells him everything he needed to know, he has been forgiven. He sees her smash her hands in her pockets and he wonders if she is trying to avoid physical contact as well. Just as he is wondering when she will trust him enough to let him hold her again, she leans up and kisses him. Four can barely think as she pulls back, as quick as she went in.

"You are brilliant, always knowing what to do," Tris beamed at him. Four leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Only because I have been thinking about this for a long time." Now it was his turn, he lightly kissed her lips and then pulled back and said, "How would I handle you and I-?" Something clicked in his head and before thinking he blurted out, "Did I hear you call me your boyfriend?" Saying that word made Tobias' stomach leap again, he would do anything to be that to Tris. He has been trying so hard not to push her, knowing this was all new for both of them.

"Well, not exactly. Why? Do you want to be?" Four's only answer was to slip his hands under her chin, tilt it up, and press his forehead against hers. He couldn't form words right now and his breathing was speeding up. When he pulled her out of that net and saw her for the first time, he never thought he would end up here. She was so amazing, tough, beautiful, and sexy that he felt he didn't deserve her. But her she is now, telling him she wants to be together. Four says the only word that makes sense to her question.

"Yes," he breathes but then remembers Eric. 'You think we convinced him you are just a silly girl?" He could only think about her safety, keeping her away from Eric. She smiled back at him, "I hope so, but sometimes it pays to be small. Erudite might be another problem though."

Four's mouth turned down at the thought of a different threat to Tris' life. As she mentioned her brother's faction, it made him think about all the things he'd seen in the control room and on some of his nightly train trips when he was planning on leaving. "Meet me back here at eleven, I have some things to show you. Don't tell anyone." Four rushes away, having to settle his mind before he sees her again. But as he walks away, a smile spread across his face so wide his cheeks burn.

* * *

That night, Four waits for Tris by the train. He sees her sneak out of the door and she looks really good. She is, of course, wearing all black but the color truly suits her. The grey washed her out but the black wakes her up. Her creamy skin against the dark color makes her glow and her blonde hair reminds him of when they were in the chasm when his hands were running through it. He loves the make up she wears, it brings her grey eyes to life. He has to shake his head to snap himself out of his daydream as she approaches, no need to look like a love sick puppy.

When she nears him, he grabs her hand, jumps on the train, and pulls her up next to him. She falls into Four, causing her body to crash into him as his hands slide down her arms grabbing her elbows. He feels the goosebumps raise against her skin and hopes it's not from the cold. She asks what he wanted to tell her but he doesn't want to talk just yet.

He sits on the floor and pulls her with him. Four can't stop himself, with the wind whipping her hair around her face and having her this close, he grabs the side of her face and pulls it toward him into a kiss. He could do this forever, kiss her every minute and hopes he never has to let her go. As the train slows down, Four trails kisses down her jawline and he barely hears her sigh over the sound of the train, causing his own breath to hitch. The train must have hit a bump because all of a sudden Four feels Tris wobble and finds her hand on his hip to steady herself.

He doesn't think she realizes where her hand is but his body definitely does as it reacts to her hand there. Four assumes she is going to move her hand but instead she does something that will forever be burned into his memory as one of the best moments of his life. She swings her leg over his so she is sitting on top of him and kisses him. Four has to sit up straighter to put a little space between her and him due to his body's reaction but he slides his hands on her shoulders and down her back, tracing her spine. He feels her shiver in his arms and this time he knows it's not from the cold. Four's mind is in a fog and he can barely think as he unzips her jacket a little ways and feels her shaking.

He realizes he may be pushing her too fast, too hard, but he can't help it. He wants her badly and realizes he is ready but she may not be. He pulls out of their kiss and instead brushes his fingers over her tattoos, remembering so many days ago when he saw those birds and thought they were the sexiest thing about her. Now she had outdone that with her move earlier.

"Birds," he says huskily, voice still strained from Tris' position on him, "Are they crows? I keep forgetting to ask." Tris looks just as shaky as he is when she answers, "Ravens, one for each of my family members. You like them?" Four isn't sure how he can put into words how much he likes the tattoo on her shoulder. Words don't seem to be enough so he pulls her to him and touches each bird with his lips, wondering if someday she will consider him family.

Four realizes they are nearing where he wanted to take her but that doesn't seem important anymore. He makes the worst decision of his life and tells her, "I hate to say this but we have to get up now." As they stand, Four can't bear any space between them so he pulls her to them as they look out the door of the train. He noticed these lights his first night of riding the train and it's bothered him ever since. He finally has someone he can share it with that he trusts, but all his mind is thinking about is sitting back down and continuing where they left off. He shakes his head to clear his mind and points out the lights to Tris.

"Apparently the city ordinance doesn't meant anything to them, their lights are on all the time." Tris stiffens and stares into the darkness, "No one else has noticed?" she questions.

Tobias has asked himself that question a million times and wishes he knew the answer. "I'm sure they have but nothing is ever done to stop it. What is Erudite doing that needs a light on all night?" Four can't handle the little space that is between them nor that he can't see her face so he turns toward her, looking into her eyes. He can see her calculating, thinking it through, and he loves watching her brain work through a problem.

He smiles and continues, wanting to share everything with her that he discovered. "Two things you should know; One is I am very suspicious of people in general and Two is that I am good with computers, unexpectedly so it would appear." Tris gives him a puzzling look, as if she is trying to figure out his life outside of training and he instantly wants to share it all with her but there will be time for that later. Instead he tells her what he discovered, "A few weeks before you arrived, I was looking through secure files from Dauntless and found what looked like war plans, thinly masked and they were sent from Erudite."

Tris' face was very wary but he could see the suspicion mirrored from his own face on hers. "War?" She became very thoughtful and Four let her think it through. This girl was very good at analyzing situations and he trusted her to find an answer to the problem that has been plaguing him for so long. She got there in mere seconds, "War on Abnegation?" she asked.

"Yes, since they control the government. They started with the articles, to stir up hatred for our former faction. Evidently Erudite now wants to take the second step, speed up whatever they have planned." Tris stared at him in disbelief, the same look Four had when he read through everything. "But why would Erudite team up with Dauntless?" He was about to answer when she blurted out the answer to her own question, "They are going to use us."

Four smiled at how simple it was for her to solve this problem, he had been working it over in his mind for weeks and she already found the answer. "But how are they going to get us to fight," Four asks. He watches as her hair blows across her face, with her mind working, she looks gorgeous, but deadly.


	24. Chapter 24: Whole

Today was the final day Four has to hide his feelings. After today, the results will be in and he and Tris can finally become public. He thought maybe they should wait a day or two but he knew he wouldn't be able to hold off for a second longer than he had to. Four skips his run to help set up the fear landscape room. The chairs for the leaders are placed near their computers that will hook them into each initiate's landscape. Four wonders what fears Tris will face but doesn't have a worry in his body, he knows she will do well enough to rank high, maybe even number one.

* * *

The initiates arrived and Four sees them all line up and wait for their turn. Tris is near the end and walks past him without any acknowledgement, she finally understood the reason for them to be so secretive. She will enter last and Tobias sees there isn't a chair for her, which won't affect her due to her Abnegation background. Any other initiate would have probably complained but not Tris, she just stands and waits. Four hears Uriah offer her his lap and he glares at Uriah but thankfully Tris declines. The leaders might ask questions if they see Four punch Uriah in the face, which is what would have happened had he pushed it further.

All the other initiates go through their landscape and Four is barely paying attention but finally it's Tris' turn and he pushes off the wall he was leaning on and approaches the area. Four sees Eric stab her with the syringe, a little harder than necessary, and he wishes he was able to do it. He wanted to be the last thing she saw, give her some of his strength before she faces her fears but he can't so he just sends her positive thoughts. He won't be able to see her fears, only the leaders can, but he can watch her reactions. _'You can do it Tris, stay calm and get out as fast as you can,' _he thinks.

She enters and Four watches closely, trying to pick out her fears as she experiences them. The first one had to be the birds, he sees her staring up at the ceiling which would be the sky to her and then reach down at the ground for something. As soon as her hand grips something, he sees what looks like aiming and assumes she found a gun to battle the birds. Four can tell the simulation shifts because he sees Tris pushing against an invisible wall and knows she is in the box. _'Just don't break the glass Tris.'_ Four thinks. He sees her try once but it must not work. As she takes in a breath, Four realizes she is going to let herself drown and has no idea how that girl can face her fears head on the way she does. That one took her a little time, Four hopes she moves faster through the next ones.

Next he sees her body being flung around, no idea what fear she is facing, until he remembers the ocean. He watches her quickly overcome it and slide into the next simulation. She must be on the stake because her arms are glued to her side and she isn't moving. He watches her face and suddenly she smiles up at the sky and is free. She moves on and he sees surprise cross her face followed closely by confusion, she must be facing a new fear. Four closes his eyes and prays she is able to overcome it quickly. When he opens his eyes, he sees her face pale as she is facing something and she whips around, again looking at something that Four can't see.

He sees her raise her hands again as if firing a gun and begins screaming. Four's body reacts, trying to get to her to save her but he holds his spot firm. Finally she crawls into something and seems to close a door. The situation must end and she moves on to the next fear. How many has that been? Four? Five?

All of a sudden, Four sees her smile, the big wide smile he's only seen on her face when she's looked at him. What could she be possibly facing that would make her smile like that? As soon as he thought this, he saw the smile disappear only to be replaced by uncertainty, which quickly changes into panic. He sees her shiver and put her hands up as if pushing something away. Her hands go to her forehead as if unsure of how to move past this fear. '_Come on Tris you can do it, just think your way through it, run from it or kill it, whatever you have to do to conquer your fear.'_ He sees her neck turn to the side and he recognizes the movement, it couldn't be could that, from the other night on the train. She shouts something which Four can't hear and watches her grab something up high, turn it and push her face into it, almost as if she's-" Suddenly she stops and Four sees the weight of the invisible gun in Tris' hand, he remembers this fear. It's the hardest one for him to watch because of her decision at the end.

Four watches her say "No" as she always does to the gun pressed to her temple and he knows she is refusing to kill her family. This was always the one she took the longest on and he hopes today she pushes through quickly. Her eyes are flashing between what can only be specific family members as if trying to figure out which one to kill first. Finally Four sees her turn to the gun and he has to look away, he can never watch her as the invisible person pulls the trigger. He sees the light against his eyelids and when he opens them sees her fear landscape is over.

Four has to follow Max and Eric into the room and gathers himself so as to approach her without any of the emotions coursing through his body right now. He is so proud of her for completing it so quickly, curious about the one fear he has never seen before, and torn up at the thought of her taking a bullet to the head. Four gives her a small smile that she returns before turning to Eric.

"Congratulations Tris, you have successfully completed the last part of your training." Four notices she looks sick to her stomach and wonders if the last simulation stuck with her, his always does for a few minutes after. He hears Eric continue and curiously looks up as Eric says, "There's just one more thing before the welcoming banquet." Four sees Eric remove a syringe from a black box and tenses up, what is he doing? There is no need for another injection and he begins to move forward to stop it until he realizes that would be an awful choice. Eric continues, "Just a tracking device, in case you go missing. It doesn't happen often but we have to be cautious just the same. We can thank our friends at Erudite for this one." Before she can say anything he plunges it into her neck and injects the serum into her. "The banquet is in two hours, your ranking will be announced then." Eric turns and walks away and Four's stomach twists at the thought of what just got injected into Tris.

Four lingers and waves for Tris to follow him after most of the people leave the room. She quickly follows him through the glass room as Four keeps his eyes forward, never looking down. He turns and smiles at her before addressing her about her landscape, "I heard you only had seven fears to face, that's impressive." She pales at the mention of her landscape and curiosity springs up again, wondering what that other fear was that he had never seen before. He lets it go as she asks, "You weren't watching the simulation?" He hears an almost hopeful tone to her voice.

Four shook his head no, "Only the screens to see your reactions, the Dauntless leaders are the only ones who can see what you see. They seemed impressed with you." The continued walking and Four couldn't help but encourage her about her scores, "I wouldn't be surprised if you were ranked number one." As they pass through other rooms, people congratulate Tris as she stays close to Four. He continues walking and when they exit the room, he turns toward her, wanting to stay with her until the banquet.

Before he can ask, she speaks up. "How much did they tell you about my landscape?" She looks so nervous, Four can barely contain the questions he wants to ask but he knows she will tell him when she is ready. "Not much why?" "No reason," she responds.

Four stares at her and then asks, "Do you have to go back to the dormitory? Because if you want some peace and quiet, you can stay with me until the banquet." He watches her face turn, as if scared at the thought of being alone with him. His stomach drops, sure of what was in her landscape now. Could she be afraid of him? "What is it?" Four asks. "Nothing, let's go." Tris walks ahead of him, forcing him to catch up to her.

They head to his apartment and he opens the door for her. She slips in and Four immediately grabs her and kisses her, cradling her head with his hand. He wanted to do that all morning especially after she finished her landscape and it was all he could do to stop himself until now. As his kisses her, he begins to push her jacket off her shoulders and she pushes him away. Four has no idea what is going on as he watches her press her palms to her face.

"What's going on?" He fears her answer, wondering if she decided he wasn't worth the work or stress. She shakes her head and Four becomes angry, not wanting to have to wait if she was going to break this off. "Don't tell me it's nothing, look at me." Her eyes lift to his and what he sees makes him scared and angry at the same time. He sees doubt and fear looking back at him.

"Sometimes I wonder what's in it for you? Why me?" Tris asks in a hushed voice. Four exhales angrily, he thought they went over this already. "Tris don't be an idiot, how can you ask that?"

"I am _not_ an idiot," she exclaims, "I just think it's weird, of all the girls you could have, you chose me. If you are just looking for…well…you know." Four scowls, realizing now he was right about what was in her landscape. She feared that he would push for sex. "Sex? I can guarantee if I wanted that, you wouldn't be the first person I would go to." As soon as he said it, he regretted it. The way it came out was not how he meant it but he couldn't take it back now. From the look on her face, she took it the wrong way too. "I'm going to leave now." She turned to walk away but Four stopped her, pulling her back to him.

"No, Tris. That's not what I meant. I'm sorry I said that, I _meant _that you aren't like that which I knew when I met you." The next words that followed will haunt Four for the rest of his life. Without meeting his eyes, she said, "You were in my fear landscape, did you know that?" Her lip begins to quiver and all Four wants to do is kiss her but that would not help this situation.

"What?" He knew the words were coming but can't help his body's reaction when he quickly releases her arm. All he can think of is the fear he saw in his mother's eyes every time she looked at his father and he vowed the person he loved would never fear him. "You're _afraid of me?_" She must have known how that hurt him because she quickly explained.

"Not you! Being with you…anyone like that. I've never been involved with someone before and you are…older…and I don't know what your expectations are and-" He cuts her off, unable to allow her to continue.

"Tris, I don't know what delusion you are under but this is all new to me too." He sees her eyes light up with surprise and realizes she must assume he's had sex before, been with girls before. She doesn't know she is his first as well, that he was too Abnegation to do that when he first got here. After he settled in to Dauntless life, he was too obsessed with leaving that he didn't want to start anything. Until she showed up in that net and changed it all.

"Delusion? You mean you haven't? Oh, I just assumed." Her cheeks flushed and Four had never found her more attractive than at that point. "Well you assumed wrong Tris. You can tell me anything, you know. I am kinder than I appear in training." His cheeks flush with embarrassment as well. He leans in and kisses her between the eyebrows, loving the crease she gets there when she is thinking hard. Slowly, he leans down, not wanting to scare her, and fits his mouth to hers. As his hands drift over her shoulders, he feels a bandage and immediately worries she was hurt when he wasn't around.

Four pulls back to examine it only to see it is covering up a tattoo. "Another tattoo?" Tris nods her head. Four is curious and asks, "Can I see?" Tris pulls her sleeve down and slips her shoulder out of it. Four sees the Abnegation symbol on her shoulder and rubs his hands over it, causing goosebumps to jump over her skin again. He laughs and says, "I have the same one on my back." He loves that they have something connecting them, even if it is a tattoo they each got at different times.

He sees her thinking something and a second later asks, "Can I see it?" Four feels a smirk and decides to tease her a little to lighten the mood. "Tris, are you asking me to undress?" He sees nerves cross her face and hears a little giggle escape before she answers, "Only partially." The glance she gives him almost makes him tackle her onto his bed but that would be going against what he just told her.

He nods and as he lifts his eyes to hers, suddenly he feels very serious. He unzips his jacket and focuses his eyes on her.. He feels her eyes boring holes into him and he grabs the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head. He faces her and watches her eyes scan his body. He can't look at her due to the emotions coursing through him. He hears her whisper, "What is it?" Four shifts his feet and answers, "I don't invite many people to look at me."

Tris softly says, "I can't imagine why, look at you." She walks around him and Four stands perfectly still, wondering what is going through her head. He hears her gasp as she sees his back, all the factions tattooed down his spine, wrapped in Dauntless flames. He can feel her curiosity so he decides to answer the questions she isn't asking. "I feel we all made a mistake separating into factions the way we have. We've all started to put down the virtues of the other factions, focusing on just ours, but I want to be more than one thing. I want to be brave, selfless, smart, kind and honest." He clears his throat, lightening the mood with a joke, "I'm still working on kind."

He hears her whisper, "No one's perfect, it doesn't work that way. If one bad thing goes away, another takes it's place." Four feels her hand skim over Abnegation's symbol on his back and it's all he can do not to move. Her touch wakes him up in a way nothing else ever has before. "We have to warn them soon you know." He knows she is speaking of the plan of war and answers with complete certainty, "We will."

Four can't stand it any longer and turns toward her, needing to see her face. He sees her struggling with something, assuming it's from her fears. "Is this scaring you Tris?" She shakes her head, "No, not really, I'm only afraid of what I want." Four can't breathe, he would go as far as she would let him, but he won't push her. He has far too much respect for her to do that.

"What do you want? Me?" He asks, with so much fear of the answer, he is sure it will be added to his landscape. Thankfully she nods and it's all he needs. He grabs her hands and places her palms on his stomach. Her touch is electrifying and he knows she feels it too. He pushes her hands up, gliding them over his abdomen and chest and then places them on his neck, holding them tightly there. He sees her blush and shiver from the contact but he continues to stare at her. "Someday, if you want me, we can…we can," he tries to say but can't finish. She smiles at him and then wraps her arms around him and presses her face into his chest, a sign that she trusts him completely.

Four stops breathing for a moment from the feeling of her skin on his and he knows she can hear his heart pounding so fast. "Are you afraid of me Tobias?" she asks as she smiles into his chest. He let's out a little laugh and smiles before answering, "Terrified." It was the truth, he had never let his guard down like this before and he was terrified of what could happen to him or her because of it. He feels her turn her head into his throat and he stops breathing again. The next thing she says will stay with him forever, as it is a sign of her utmost trust of him and faith that they will move forward together.

"Maybe you won't be in my fear landscape anymore." As she says it, he bends his head down and kisses her passionately, pouring his whole heart into that kiss. As he pulls away, he murmurs on her lips, "Then everyone can call you Six."

"Four and Six." Four's heart leaps at the words, finally hearing her acknowledge that they are together, one unit. He kisses her again and it feels right, familiar. They fit together, his arms fit smoothly around her waist and her hands are on his chest. He finally feels whole again, the parts of him damaged by Marcus so many years ago filled up with her love. He memorizes her lips and body but mostly the pressure of her lips on his, never wanting to feel the emptiness that consumed his life before her again.


	25. Chapter 25: Bonus

**So this is a bonus chapter (hence the title). I feel so bad for Tobias and Tris, they never get to just enjoy being together with the war and then the craziness of the next two books. When I was reading the chapter in the book (and the first sentence of the next chapter) that correlates to Chapter 24 of my story, I realized that Veronica eludes to a time, before the ceremony and war, when Tobias and Tris were in his room. Tris mentions how they stayed in his room enjoying each other's company and I thought I would give them some time to just be young and in love. This is my idea of what may have happened in his room before all hell breaks loose! In this chapter there are a few slightly racy scenes (really just heavy kissing but you know) so read at your own risk. The next chapter I write will be the next chapter in the book with the initiate's results, the war, and so forth. Just wanted to give them a moment to enjoy each other! I hope you like it, feel free to review! Thanks for all your great reviews, it really motivates me to keep writing. I am immersed in this world right now haha.**

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Four pulled Tris down onto his bed as their lips stay locked. She falls on top of him and deepens the kiss. Four's hands start to wander down her back and his fingertips find the skin of her lower back where her shirt pulled up. He grazes her skin and feels her jump at the contact. "Sorry," he mumbles into her lips. She smiles and pulls back slightly to look in his eyes.

"Tobias, I'm not going to break, it's ok. I'm sorry that you appeared in my fear landscape but as our current position shows, I believe I am over that." She leans back down and kisses him, her tongue darting against his lips, reassuring him she wants this. As he grants her access, he feels his body begin to respond in ways that he knows Tris isn't ready for and isn't sure he is either. He slowly ends the kiss and slides her off from on top of him and fits her in his side. Her cheeks are flushed and eyes half open and he has never found her more desirable.

Tris snuggles into his chest, tracing random patterns on his skin with her fingers. He turns his head and kisses her forehead and breathes in her scent. "I wish we could stay like this forever, forget the welcoming ceremony, we already know you made it. Let's skip it." Four gives her a devilish grin to accompany his invitation to stay in his bed all day. Tris smacks his chest lightly responding, "You know they will come looking for you and me, we don't want them to find us like this." She turns to check the clock on the wall, "We have a over an hour left before we absolutely have to leave, let's just enjoy it." With that she snuggles in deeper and wraps her arm around his torso.

Four tightens his hold on her as well, hoping they will have time after the ceremony to just relax before people bombard them with questions that he knows they will have, especially Christina. "Do you think we ever ran into each other?" Four asks her. Tris gets her serious face and answers, "I think so. I feel like I remember you at some of the meetings my dad made Caleb and I come to. You were in the back, sitting very quietly. I thought you were really weird." Tris smiles at him and Four lightly smacks her arm, laughing with her. He quickly answers her back, "I think I remember you too. You were that annoying girl always asking so many questions." It was Tris' turn to hit him and he laughed out loud which caused her to start giggling. Four enjoys getting to know her and asks a more serious question.

"So what was your favorite part about Abnegation?" Four asks.

Tris stiffens at the question. "Where did that come from?" Four looks down at her, "Well I figure we can do one of two things; make out for an hour or get to know each other even more. Maybe we can do a little of both," he laughs and winks at her. She gives him a squeeze before her face becomes contemplative. "I loved the time after dinner, when we would all just relax for a few minutes together as a family. It was so peaceful and that was when I felt the most included, like I really did belong in Abnegation. What was yours?" He saw her regret the question as soon as she asked it. "I'm so sorry Tobias, I wasn't even thinking."

"It's ok, it wasn't all bad. I loved when my mom and I would go for walks. We usually had an hour before Marcus got home and we were free to laugh and be ourselves. That is my favorite memory of her, she was so full of life at those times and I remember how beautiful her smile was, how happy and free she looked in those moments. It's too bad he didn't get to enjoy that part of her, that he ruined that for himself." He felt Tris' eyes on him but he couldn't look at her. He didn't want to see the pity for the broken family he had to endure.

"Tobias, I can't even begin to understand what you went through but it's Marcus' loss that he didn't get to know not only his wife but his amazing son. You are something he should have been most proud of. You are kind and caring and protective and brave. I feel sorry that he never got to enjoy you."

Four turned to her and couldn't help himself, he grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. He rolled on top of her, careful to keep his weight off her, and deepened the kiss. He felt her hands explore up his back and the feeling of her hands caused his hips to grind into her involuntarily. Her hands froze at the same time that he did. Their eyes opened and he could see the smile on her face. Four cleared his throat and said, "Apparently my body didn't get the memo we were taking this slow. I'm so sorry." As he began to move off from her he found her hands holding his waist where it was.

"It wasn't all bad Tobias." She sly smiled at him as one hand reached up, wrapped around his neck, and pulled his head down. She planted kisses along his jawline and he melted into her grasp. When she reached his mouth, she moved to lightly kiss him but Four wasn't having that. He kissed her deeply again, tongue gaining access to her mouth, enjoying the feeling of her under him. His hands began to wander and found the hem of her shirt. His fingers pushed under it and found the warm, soft skin of her stomach. He grabbed a hold of her hip, pulling her to him and then slid his arm behind her, skimming her back. He felt her arch her back slightly into his touch and as quickly as it started, he rolled off from her. He knew his body wasn't up for much more unless she let all her barriers down and he didn't want to push that.

"I think that's about all I can handle Tris," Tobias whispered. He heard her laugh and turned toward her as her face light up from her laugh. "Oh you think that's funny?" She was only able to nod her head as her laughter shook her whole body. "Well let's see if you think this is funny." Four reached out and tickled her waist, a spot he had found accidentally during fighting when he was helping her with body position and she squirmed out of his grasp. Tris gasped and shrieked, "You said you would never use that against me!"

"Well if you aren't going to play fair, then I don't have to." Four pinned her down and began tickling her stomach and sides. She squirmed under him and he had to force his body to concentrate. Tris was barely able to breathe now, Four could hear her trying to get air and see her silent laughter. He continued to tickle her until he found himself flipped off his bed with her on top of him.

"Mr. Eaton, I believe the saying is "Payback's a bitch!" she whispered in his ear before letting a breathe wash over it. He squirmed under her, unsure of how she knew his ears were ticklish. She laughed an evil laugh and continued to assault each ear, Four unable to protect both of them at one time. That is when her hands accidentally found the ticklish spot right under his shoulder blades and around his ribs. She quickly changed courses, pinning him down with her legs and tickling as fast as she could. Four realized she knew her time was short lived but he gave her a few extra seconds. She became cocky and when she reached for his feet, he flipped them over and held her down.

She stared into his eyes, laughter lighting up her grey ones, and begged him to stop. "Please Tobias, I surrender. I can't take anymore, I can't breathe. Please, truce?" She batted her eyes at him and he couldn't resist. He stepped off from her and as he reached down to help her up, she pounced on him, knocking him back on his bed. "You are a sucker aren't you? All I had to do was bat my eyes at you and you give in. This is going to be fun." Quickly she leaned down, kissed his lips and then crawled back into the crook of his arm.

Worn out, Four could feel them drifting off to sleep. He set an alarm and leaned into her, breathing in her scent once again, allowing his heart rate to slow down. Just as they were drifting off to sleep, he felt her tilt her head up and he met her halfway, planting a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled up at him and then closed her eyes, snuggling in closer and using his chest as a pillow. Four tightened his arm around her, never planning on letting go of her. The last thoughts he had before he drifted off to sleep were of how perfect this had turned out. He was so glad he hadn't left when he had planned or he would have missed out on this amazing woman in his arms.


	26. Chapter 26: Devotion

**So one side note, I wasn't sure as to whether Zeke was Divergent in this story or not but I made him be just to help my side of the story along. Just go with it :) Let me know what you think of the story so far if you get a chance!**

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Four and Tris walked to the dining hall together, everyone too distracted to notice the pair. Four couldn't remove the smile from his face after the time spent in his room. He felt closer to Tris than ever and hated that he had to pretend like nothing happened again, at least it was only for a little bit and then he didn't care who knew. He felt Tris looking at him and he met her eyes with a goofy grin. He could tell she was worried that he regretted their time together so he reached out and gave her hand a small squeeze to reassure her. He allowed her to enter the dining hall first, gave her a minute to get to her friends and then walked over to the table with Zeke.

Zeke tried to hand him a beer but Four declined, knowing if he put any alcohol in his system, he would walk over to Tris right now and kiss her in front of everyone. He needed a level head to get through this last hour apart. "Where have you been buddy? You are all smiles!" Zeke wanted information but Four wasn't going to give it up. "I'm just glad this is almost over," Four responded.

"I'll bet you are. What's the first thing you two lovebird stiffs are going to do once you can be public?" Zeke teased him. Four smacked him and then snuck a peak at Tris. He saw her talking to Christina and recognized the look of jealousy on Christina's face. She mustn't be happy with Tris' success but Four did notice Christina was sitting a little closer to Will than normal. He hoped that her new found happiness would allow for her to see past any favoritism she may think Four had toward Tris when their relationship was exposed. Four loved using that word when it came to Tris, he was in a relationship with her, he was her boyfriend. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face and Zeke elbowed him in the ribs.

"Maybe you should at least hold a beer bottle so people will think that stupid grin is from too much alcohol or they may start asking questions about why the biggest hard ass of Dauntless looks so freaking happy. Some people may not even recognize you, I'm surprised you know how to smile." Four was in too good of a mood to allow Zeke to spoil it so he just laughed at his joke and took the bottle, holding it but not consuming it. Four heard a microphone squeal and looked over at Eric standing on a table. _'Here it goes, once this is over I am heading straight for Tris,' _Four thought.

Eric waited for everyone to quiet down and then began, "I'm not going to give a long speech, that type of eloquence is saved for the Erudite." People laughed and Four eyed him cautiously wondering how many people knew he was from there. Eric continued, "It's been an interesting year with our new initiates, regardless of how much smaller the pack was this year. We offer them our congratulations for completing initiation." Eric was drowned out at the noise of the crowd, everyone was banging cups and bottles on the table and shouting. Four saw Tris grinning and couldn't stop himself from matching it.

Eric continued, "We believe in bravery and taking action. We believe in freeing ourselves from fear to acquire the skills necessary to rid our world of the bad so the good can prosper. If you also believe in those things, then we welcome you. Tomorrow, as your first day as members, you will choose the job you would like to pursue in Dauntless. As everyone is so patiently waiting for the results, I will get to it. We've combined the initiates scores based on combat, simulations, and our fear landscape. The rankings will appear on the screen behind me." Eric steps off the table and Four shifts his body so he has a clear view of the screen, he wants to see her name at the top for himself. The names appear and Four is barely able to contain himself from standing and shouting, Tris is number one. He looks over to see Tris' table erupt in cheers, hugging and celebrating with each other. Uriah joins them and he congratulates Tris but keeps his hands off from her. Four assumes the talk he had with him the other day made its' point. Four sees her looking at the list again and he follows her eyes and sees her excitement at Drew and Molly's names on the bottom, cut from Dauntless.

Four wishes Peter would join that list as well but now that initiation was over, Tris was welcome to defend herself in any way possible and any attack on her would be taken much more seriously. Four glances back over at the table to see Tris' face still plastered with a smile and behind her Christina and Will locking lips. With everyone distracted, Four assumes this would be a perfect time to congratulate her. He makes his way over there, trying to stay out of her line of sight to surprise her.

He comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder, aware she was just looking around for him. She turns and is beaming even brighter at the sight of him. Four leans in and asks, "Would it be too obvious if I gave you a hug?" Tris shakes her head and then answers, "You know what, I don't care right now." With that, she pulls him in for a kiss and it was the best moment of Four's life. Not only had she made it, was number one, but she chose him and wanted to be with him. The hiding was over, they could finally be seen together without any repercussions. As they break apart, he brushes his thumb across her neck and feels her stiffen. He pulls back and looks her in the eyes, "Tris?" She just shakes her head and says, "Not now." Four sees Christina and Will staring at Tris behind her. He motions their way and she turns, seeing the look of surprise on their faces.

The crowd pushes into the intiates at full force and as hard as Four tries, he can't stay connected with Tris. He is pulled away by families of the Dauntless born to discuss their rankings, especially Uriah and Zeke's mom. He tries to keep Tris in his line of sight but loses her in the crowd, cursing her height for the first time. "Zeke, have you seen Tris?"

"That eager to get this thing out in the open huh?" Zeke laughs, clearly buzzed from all the beer he has been consuming. Four shakes his head, "No it's not that, she had something to tell me, something important." Zeke laughs very loudly and grabs Four, "I'll bet she does. Did it involve a lack of clothing?" Four pushes away from Zeke and tries to find Tris but is unable to. She must have headed to the dorms. He will find her later when things have calmed down. Four heads back to his apartment, convinced he will head out when everyone else falls asleep but exhaustion from the day of excitement takes over and he falls asleep.

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Four wakes up hours later to noise outside his room. He opens the door a crack to see everyone marching down the hallway, like zombies. He quickly gets dressed and steps out into the hall, staying in the shadows. He sees Zeke walk past and grabs him and pulls him into the shadows. He hears Zeke yelp slightly but then looks at Four. "You're awake? Divergent huh? What is happening?" Four shakes his head, unsure of what is going on, but then realizes what Tris was trying to tell him. "The serum they injected us with, it's a mind control thing. Everyone is in simulation, which means anyone who is Divergent isn't. You have to get to Uriah, tell him to act natural. I'll find Tris." Four and Zeke hug quickly and head off, slipping into line, acting natural.

Four tries to slide into the hallway toward the dormitory but sees Eric coming his way and looks straight ahead with blank eyes. He hopes he looks like he is under simulation, picking up a gun with the others as they pass the tables. As they continue through the Pit, he hears part of Eric's conversation with another Dauntless member, apparently they aren't under simulation. "We need to find all of them, they won't be responding the way the others are. If you see anyone who is aware, shoot them on sight. No questions." Four's stomach drops. He knows Tris is smart enough to play along but if she isn't even aware this is happening and they find her….his mind trails off and he stops himself. She has to be all right.

As he follows the group, he realizes they are heading toward the trains. His stomach drops as he realizes they are headed into the city and he would bet they are headed toward Abnegation. He scans with his eyes,not moving his head, but can't see Tris, she is too short to see over all these heads anyway. He has to hope she is looking for him and checks around him for any other leaders who may be awake. He sees only a sea of Dauntless so he continues to walk, hoping she can see him. He stops automatically to help the others on the train and notices Max watching the crowd. As he aides his fellow Dauntless on the train, he sees her coming toward him. He holds his body rigid, eyes blank. If he moves now, he will give them both away to Max and they won't stand a chance. He helps her onto the train, feels her eyes bore into him, but he doesn't acknowledge her. He can feel her body drop with the idea that he is under simulation. He helps the last person on the train and steps on himself, spotting her blonde head immediately. He keeps his eyes forward, acting as if he is going to move back to his previous place in line but stops next to her. She is looking forward and he can see she looks broken. He has to let her know he is awake but he sees Dauntless leaders scanning the trains, looking for Divergent. Since they are in the middle of the group, he feels a small movement would be safe.

He shifts his hand ever so slightly until it brushes up against hers. He laces his fingers in hers and pressed as much of himself into her as possible, which ends up being a shoulder and his palm. The little contact gives him hope they will get out of this alive, or at least together. He feels her jolt at his touch and then stand a little straighter. That was all he needed, to let her know he was there with her. He wants to look at her so badly, to reassure her with a touch, a look, a kiss, but he keeps his head forward, imagining that gun from her fear landscape pressed to her head, not wanting to experience that in real life. The least he can do is rub small circles on her hand, focusing on the person in front of him and the feel of Tris' hand in his. The train screeches to a halt and Four's stomach drops at the sight of the grey houses, he was right. He quickly glances at Tris and sees her horror shocked face. "Run," is all he says. Tris whispers, "My family."

Four gets out ahead of her and hopes she stays behind him. If anyone shoots at them, he wants to make sure those bullets are directed at him and not her. They continue walking with the other Dauntless and suddenly come upon a scene of a Dauntless member shooting an Abnegation council member in the head without even blinking. As he looked closer, his stomach dropped as he saw Tori behind the gun, with the same blank expression as the other members. Four saw various Abnegation members dropping to the ground around him and hears Tris gasp behind him. He hopes for her sake, neither of her parents were out on that street.

As the other Dauntless begin to spread out, Four finds himself and Tris lining up along some buildings. He hears a voice near Tris and risks a glance in her direction and sees Eric, walking around the group staring at them. "This is insane," Eric cooed. Four was barely able to control his body as Eric poked Tris' cheek. He held his breath but Tris stayed still as Eric stared into her face. "They really can't see us?" the other person asked Eric but Four couldn't see who it was.

"Oh they can see and hear but they aren't processing what they see and hear the same way. They receive commands from our computer into the transmitters we injected them with and carry them out seamlessly." Four feels Eric move toward him and he hopes his eyes are blank and holds his body still. He feels Eric's arrogance as Eric stares into Four's eyes. "Well isn't this a treat. The legendary Four. No one is going to remember that I can in second to some Stiff anymore are they? I won't have to hear anyone ask me again, "What was it like to train with someone who only has four fears?" Look at how mighty you are now, all those skills gone to waste with the transmitter inside your body." Four is barely able to keep from punching Eric, the only reason he did, was the girl standing next to him, his only goal to keep her alive.

He sees Eric grabs something and feels the barrel of a gun pressed to his temple. Four doesn't flinch; thanking all that training Dauntless gave him to stay steady. He can feel Tris stiffen and hopes she stays calm, doesn't make any unwise decisions. Four knows Eric would never shoot him, he can't, or at least he hopes that is the case. Eric laughs at the mysterious woman and says, "Think anyone would notice if he accidentally got shot?" Four hears the woman respond, "Go ahead, he's nothing now."

Four hears the bullet click into the chamber as Eric continues to taunt him, "Too bad you didn't take Max up on his offer _Four_. Well too bad for you anyway, it worked out pretty well for me." Four's lungs are burning, not having breathed since Eric approached him. He didn't want to move anything in case he gave away that he wasn't under simulation. He feels his hand twitch toward his gun but stops himself. He doesn't move but hears something to his left. Tris had her gun pressed against Eric's head and Four tries to keep his body slack, knowing he would do the same thing if a gun was pressed to her head. Tris shouts at Eric, "Get your gun away from his head."

Eric looks at her in surprise, "You won't shoot me." Four can't believe Eric is still underestimating Tris' abilities, even after she was awarded the number one spot. Four sees her hesitate slightly at taking another person's life but watches her arm shift and shoots him in the foot. The moment Eric's gun leaves his head, Four spins and shoots Eric's friend in the leg, moving faster than he ever has before. Tris' life was the most important thing to him right now and he needed to get her out of here. He felt her grab his arm and they sprint for their lives.

As they turn into an alley, Four has hope they will escape but his stomach drops as he hears footsteps behind them. Tobias squeezes Tris' hand to reassure her he would protect her, pulls her forward and sprints even faster, dragging her behind him. He is glad he ran all those mornings, keeping himself in shape to get them both away. He couldn't run fast enough though, as he hears the gun fire, he braces himself for the impact but hears a sound that will stay with him forever. He hears Tris muffle her scream and feels her fall to the ground. As Tobias turns, he sees blood pouring from her shoulder and turns back for her. She is forever Abnegation as she tells him to keep going but there is no way he could leave her behind. She is his life now, feeling his devotion toward her remove any fear still in him.

Tobias drops to her side and as calm and quietly as he can tells her, "No, I won't leave you." As he helps her up, he sees they are surrounded but the only thing on his mind was to keep Tris safe. He supports her weight, rubbing his hand on her back to try to take her mind off the pain. Eric had caught up to them but Four was happy to see he couldn't stand on the foot Tris shot.

"Divergent rebels, surrender your weapons." Four's heart dropped, assuming the worst but glad Tris was by his side. He just hoped it happened quickly, but knowing Eric, Four would suffer greatly before this was all over.


	27. Chapter 27: Mindless

**This chapter was slightly harder to write as I am not quite sure how the simulation affected Four during this time. I thought about it and figured even if he was taken over by it, there would still be glimpses where he remembered if only fleeting so I wanted to write it that way. Anyway I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a review to let me know how you like it. It's almost finished! I think I am going to expand my story, Everything They Wanted, next and then maybe do Insurgent if people would want that from his POV as well. Let me know!**

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Four feels Tris lean into him and he takes as much of her weight as she needs to give him. All he can think about is the blood trickling down her side and wants to get her medical help as soon as possible. They are lead into an Abnegation building, Four recognizes it as the old headquarters, and as they enter Four sees a blonde woman behind a desk and assumes this is Jeanine Matthews. She hangs up the phone and narrows her eyes at Tris. Four slides his body slightly in front of Tris, still trying in any way to protect her from what he assumes is death.

She points at Tris, "You I expected after all those test result malfunctions but Tobias Eaton, or should I call you Four, were able to escape me. You performed perfectly on all your tests, yet here you are, wide awake. Can you explain that to me?"

Four narrowed his eyes at her, refusing to give her any more information than he had to, "You are the genius, you tell me." She smiled at him and it sent a chill down his spine, "Well I assume your Divergence isn't as strong as this one." Four feels Tris tense and he applies some pressure with his hand that is still on her back, warning her to stay put. He turns back to Jeanine, spitting venomous words at her, "Your powers of deductive reasoning are stunning, I am awed by your brilliance." Four was pushing his luck but the anger coursing through him at the thought of this woman endangering Tris' life was too much to handle.

He felt Tris look at him and he realized he hasn't shown this side of him in a while. He would rather fight Jeanine than sit here and die and with Tris standing next to him, he wasn't going down without a fight. Four turned his attention back to Jeanine, never liking the "talking" part of a life threatening situation. He wanted to force her to act, because he knew he could win that fight. "Now that your intelligence has been verified, you might as well get on with killing us." Jeanine doesn't even react to him and he feels the white hot anger pooling inside of him but he has to keep a level head. Just as he thinks that, he feels Tris slump against him and his heart races at the thought of her bleeding out just standing here. He moves the arm that was on her back around her waist, holding her up completely at this point.

"Don't be silly, there is no rush. You are here because you are important, extremely important. I've been so confused at how the Divergent were immune to my serums so I've been working to remedy that. This latest batch was supposed to have been the answer, but as you are standing here, that obviously wasn't the case. Luckily I have another batch."

Four had no idea how to get him and Tris out of this but maybe if he kept Jeanine talking he might get an opportunity. With how much blood Tris has lost, his other plan of fighting wasn't going to work, he couldn't leave her defenseless while he took out Jeanine. "Why bother with the serums?" Tris asks weakly.

Jeanine smirks, "I have had a question since I began the Dauntless project. How could all these Divergent come from the weak willed Abnegation faction? Of all the factions to produce rebels, why yours?"

Four couldn't stand her arrogance, "Weak willed? From what I know, it takes a strong will to be self-sacrificing, think of others before youself. If you are looking for weak willed, let's look at the people currently mind controlling an army to get the results you want."

Jeanine laughed again and Four felt Tris shiver beside him. "I am not a fool, a faction of intellectuals is no army and we are tired of being dominated by a faction of self-righteous idiots who reject wealth and advancement. We couldn't do it on our own so we enlisted the help of your faction, which your leaders were happy to hand over the necessary force in exchange for a place in our new government."

Four heard Tris try to speak and he squeezed his arm around her tighter, wanting her to save her strength, but he knew that wasn't the type of person she was. "At whose expense? All that wealth doesn't come from nowhere." Jeanine smiled at her, Four noticed her eyes dart to Tris' shoulder, analyzing the wound. "Well Tris, the factionless are a drain on our society, after we deal with your old faction, I'm sure Candor will follow along behind us."

Four could feel the forward progression of this conversation and knew their time standing around was coming to an end. He tried to find a place in the room he could quickly shove Tris to protect her before he began his assult on the others here. He turned to Jeanine with a threatening look, "Let's get on with this. I promise you, you will be dead before the day is out."

She clicked her tongue at him and said, "If you could control your temper, you would not be in this situation _Tobias._" He narrowed his eyes at her, "I'm in this situation because you orchestrated an attack on innocent people."

Jeanine just laughed, "Innocent people? What about your father? Would you be upset if you found out he died today?" Four thought about it for a second but realized as much as he hated his father he wouldn't want him killed this way, no one deserved to be murdered in cold blood without a chance to fight back. "No Jeanine, even though he is evil, at least he hasn't attempted to murder an entire faction."

"Well let's move forward then shall we? I am going to be in charge of a large number of Abnegation very soon and I can't have you running around stirring up trouble. My new serum should be just the cure we are looking for. You may be strong willed, I cannot control that, but I can control a few other things."

As she moved closer to us, Four felt Tris lean into him and he felt blood run over his arm, she needed medical help soon. Unfortunately he doubted Jeanine was rushing to stitch up her wound. She pressed her hands together, glee warping her mouth into a terrifying grin. "I can control what you see and hear in a way that my new serum manipulates your surroundings and your will. You get to be the first test subject Tobias, sadly you are too injured Beatrice to be much use to me for anything so your execution will occur right after we depart."

Four's body reacts and terror washes over him. There is nothing he will be able to do to save her, his mind races through possibilities but all of them end up with both of them dead, which may be the better option. He meets Tris' eyes, trying to hide the fear in them but failing, and sees the same fear in her eyes. It isn't so much a fear of dying as it is a fear of losing each other so early on. Four has to fight back, not for himself but for her.

"No. I would rather die." He stands firms but Jeanine has all the power and both of them know it. She smirks, "That's sweet, but sadly you don't have much say in the matter." Desperation fills Four and he has to feel her touch, her lips one last time. He grabs Tris, still aware of her shoulder, and kisses her roughly. He pours every ounce of his soul into her, a promise that he will find a way to solve this, no matter how empty that promise is. He ends the kiss and places her against the wall, substituting it for his support. His body screams out for her but he has to give her a fighting chance. Every fiber of his being tries to keep him near her and then desperation takes over again. He looks her firmly in the eye before launching himself across the table and grabbing Jeanine's throat. He attempts to crush her windpipe as fast as possible but her Dauntless soldiers are faster. Guns press against his body and he hears Tris scream which makes him immediately stop. Two soldiers grab him and pull him off from her, his body becoming slack, giving in. He is shoved to the floor and his face is violently shoved into the carpet. From where he is, he sees Tris' feet fly at his attacker and he wants to scream out, tell her to stop but her body is slow and weak. She barely makes a scratch before a guard shoves her against the wall. He sees her hold in a scream from the pain in her shoulder and he is drowned in grief that this is the last time he is going to see her.

Four has no idea how he is going to escape and free her before her execution, he can barely breathe at the thought of a gun by her head. Four sees Jeanine gather herself and grab a black box from her desk. His face pales and has no idea what to expect. A horrible thought floods his brain, _Are they going to make me kill Tris?_, and his stomach drops. He can't allow for his face to be the last thing she sees on the other side of the gun.

Four grits his teeth and elbows one of the guards holding him down in the face, attempting one last time to get them out of this situation but doesn't make it far as a gun is slammed into the side of his head. As he feels himself slipping into unconscious he feels the needle pierce his neck and hears the moan escape Tris. He holds on for her but feels his body slipping into the serum. As hard as he tries to fight it, he can't and suddenly he is a prison inside of his brain.

He stands and scans the room. He sees Jeanine and feels wary of her but his brain is telling him she is a friend, someone to trust. He hears his name being yelled out, "Tobias! Tobias", and hears Jeanine comment to the person about not knowing them. As he turns, his brain send a signal to his muscles to react, the same reaction he felt during training. His eyes locked onto the target and swiftly moved toward her, his hand snapping up and closing around the enemy's throat. He could feel the life draining from her and he tightened his grip.

Jeanine stood behind him explaining something to the traitor, "The simulation manipulates how he sees the world. He confuses enemies with friends." Four becomes aware for a millisecond, realizing Jeanine is the enemy not this girl….trying to remember her name, the serum takes hold again and he tightens his grip. A guard pulls him off from her and he sees the fire leave the traitor's eyes. He sees her give up hope and wonders what she has lost. Again he hears Jeanine talking behind him.

"The advantage to this simulation is he can act independently and is therefore more effective than the others." Why was she telling the traitor so much information, Four struggled to connect the missing information but his brain kept confusing him. Jeanine continued, "Send him to the control room, we'll want someone watching things there and I believe he used to work there. And take this one to B13, I have something special planned for her." With that Four walks out of the building without a backward glance at the traitor, she is getting what she deserves for defying the government, and heads back to the headquarters.


	28. Chapter 28: Voice

Four hears gunshots but is not worried, Jeanine has him and the simulation well-guarded. He is surprised the rebels made it this far but his only concern is to make sure the simulation runs smoothly. As he is watching the code and cameras around the city, he hears the door open behind him. He turns to look who entered and his eyes narrow, the traitor survived. She has a gun and he needs to protect the simulation.

The word protect confuses him, there was something else he was supposed to protect, something that was very important to him but he can't grasp the thought in his brain. He raises his gun at the traitor, taking more effort than it should, as if his body is fighting something for control, and says, "Drop your weapon."

The traitor speaks to him and again his mind becomes cloudy as he hears her say, "Tobias, you are in a simulation." He is confused, he is not in the simulation, he is controlling the simulation. He shakes his head to try to clear these thoughts from it, she is just trying to confuse him. "Drop your weapon or I'll fire." His hand tightened on the gun, pointing it with more force at the traitor, and his stomach flipped with his action. Why was his body so against shooting this girl? She stares at him and he doesn't notice her drop her gun.

"Drop your weapon!" He shouts, his body on overload from the conflicting emotions. He should just pull the trigger and get it over with but his finger is fighting him. He hears her respond and the voice sounds so familiar, makes him want to smile but he stops himself. She is a traitor, she is not his friend. All of a sudden, she lunges at him and he fires out of reflex, the bullet missing her. He sighs in relief but doesn't understand why his is feeling relief at the traitor surviving. She grabs his wrist and knocks the gun out of his hand but he is stronger than her, she cannot beat him in this fight. He sees her dive for the gun and he grabs her and shoves her aside, gentler than he should have.

She makes eye contact with him and he sees more pain than he should in her eyes and it throws him off. He doesn't know how this traitor is getting into his head but his temper takes over and he punches her in the jaw. He sees her attempt to kick him way before she throws her foot in the air, as if he knows how she fights. He catches her foot and pulls her down and he hears her scream at the impact on her shoulder. His hands begin to reach out to comfort her but he clears his head and throws out his foot to kick her instead, not trusting his hands.

She grabs at the gun but Four grasps her by the hair before she can get to it. He smashes her face into the wall as she tries to grip his wrist again. He hears her choke out, "Tobias," and again he pauses. His grip loosens as the idea of hurting her makes him sick and she takes the opportunity. She kicks him, slips out of his grip and grabs the gun. He curses at her ability to confuse him and turns to find a gun pointed at his chest.

"Tobias, I know you are in there." Who is this girl? Why does she talk to him like she knows him? He would never associate with a traitor. He moves toward her, anger billowing out of him at the power she has over him. She struggles to her feet and he has to control his hands from reaching out to help her, no idea where that reflex comes from. She begins to beg and his mind becomes cloudier with confusion.

"Tobias, please. See me. Please see me Tobias!" She shouts at him. He scowls, his brain trying to figure out why this girl knows him and why his body reacts so strongly to her. He sees the gun shake in her hands as if she can't kill him either, his body is going to tear itself apart fighting to hurt and help her. Four has no idea what is happening as she presses the gun into his hands. Why would a traitor give him the gun when he is just going to kill her with it? He grabs the gun and pushes it into her forehead and as he does it, he feels her hand rest on his heart. Something flashes in his mind, two people sitting below a waterfall, a hand resting on a chest just like this one is. For some reason he thinks it is the girl and him sitting there, but that can't be right, he's never seen this girl before in his life...has he? He grits his teeth to stop the confusion, angry again at the thought of her somehow controlling his mind. He clicks a bullet into the chamber, ready to remove this threat from his life so he can continue his job.

He hears her whisper, "Tobias, It's me." His heart is pounding, why can't he pull the trigger? Why are his palms suddenly sweaty with the thought of this gun pointed at her head, it's what traitors deserve, he knows that. She furthers the confusion by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him as he stiffens. This feels so comfortable and right, his eyes begin to close as his body surges with…happiness?

Those arms around him pulled his mind out of the fog and he suddenly realizes he has a gun pressed against Tris' head and he was about to kill her. The events of the past hour came back to him, the injection, watching Tris be led out to be killed, hitting her, pressing a gun to her head. Everything washed over Four and he was filled with anger. Boiling rage at the thought of Jeanine controlling people and thinking it's ok makes him want to find her and torture her, but all he can think about is the girl in his arms, willing to sacrifice her life to not end his.

"Tris." His mouth collides with hers and wraps his arms around her. He can't get himself close enough to her and he begins to shake, the after effects of the serum wearing off. He tries to not squeeze her too hard but he can't control his body's need to hold her and never let her go. Eventually his body relaxes and he sets Tris down and stares into her eyes. He sees the strength and fire that pulled him out of the simulation burn in her eyes and he has never loved her so much. He brushes her hands over her face, lips, cheeks, and he feels himself start to break at what he did to her. He sees the redness on her jaw and a moan escapes his lips. He can feel the tears start to form as he remembers his father hitting his mother the same way. He sees her eyes fill with concern and she grabs him and wraps him up as tight as she can, he returns the hug and feels her lean into him.

"How did you do it?" Four hears her ask, but he can't answer, he's still astonished she was willing to risk her life to save him. He looks at her and says exactly what pulled him out of it, wanting her to know how much she means to him.

"I heard your voice."


	29. Chapter 29: Devotion

**This is the final chapter of this story! I am going to continue the POV into Insurgent, a lot of people have asked for it. I have off from work tomorrow so keep an eye out for it-there will probably be a lot of chapters going up tomorrow, I will post an additional chapter in this story with a link to my new one. Thank you so much for the support, I really enjoyed getting into Four's head for this story! Enjoy!**

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Four feels Tris pull back and he continues to process the information from when he was under the simulation. "Was I running the simulation?" he asks Tris, his mind unable to process the images he was seeing.

"I don't know if you were running it, more like monitoring it. It's complete so I think we just need to figure how to turn it off." Four remembers how it felt in the simulation, the serum redirecting every thought he had that didn't aid in the overall outcome. Four say quickly, "It's incredible, terrible, but incredible at the level of control it has."

Tris gasps and Four turns to where her attention is, "Tobias, we have to stop it now!" He sees a group of Dauntless soldiers surrounding Peter and two other people, one who has the same grey eyes as Tris, it must be her brother. Four lunges at the computer and begins typing furiously, he hears Tris shout his name and he begins to type faster. As he hits the last key, his eyes shoot up to the screen and sees all the Dauntless soldier's arms drop to their sides, looks of confusion spreading across their faces. Four feels for them, understanding what it was like to wake up out of that daze and realize they had done, still emotional from what he had done to Tris, only he hadn't killed anyone and assumed they were feeling much worse. Suddenly he realizes something and lunges back at the computer.

"I have to get the data Tris or they'll just start it back up again." He furiously works and finally removes the disk from the computer. "I got it." He hands it to Tris, the only person who can keep it safe in case they are pulled back under simulation again. She looks at him and realizes the same thing, "We have to leave."

He wraps his arms around her shoulders and leads her down the hallway. He hears her scream as she sees the bodies lying on the floor and he recognizes Andrew Prior. Tris must have either seen him die or had not known. Four's heart breaks for her, understanding how much she loved her family despite her faction switch. She takes five deep breathes and then Four pulls her along. They meet up with the boy who has the same eyes as hers, yet more curious with something else hidden behind them, and she pulls him into a hug. Four hears him ask about their father and Tris is only able to shake her head.

As Four is watching them, he feels a pair of eyes on him and the hair on the back of his neck suddenly raises. He remembers that feeling, that look and as he raises his eyes, he meets the one pair he hoped he would never see again. As Four stands frozen, he sees his father move towards him, put his arms around him and pull him into a hug. "Son," Marcus chokes out and Four winces at the feeling of his arms around him. He remembers those touches of endearment; they were usually followed by touches of hate, abuse.

Before he can do anything, Tris was between them pushing Marcus off from him. "Stay away from him," she hisses at him. Everyone freezes and he hears her brother ask her what she's doing. Tris ignores them all and Four wants to wipe the innocent look of shock of Marcus' face, remembering it all too well when someone would start to question the marks on Four's body as a child.

Tris turns to her brother and tells him, "Not all those Erudite articles were full of lies." Four can see Marcus' rage start to build and he doesn't want Tris to ever be on the end of one of this temper tantrums. He hears Marcus say, "What are you talking about? I don't know what you've been told Beatrice but-" She cuts him off, "The only reason I haven't shot you yet is because he is the one who should get to do it. Stay away from him or I'll decide I no longer care."

Four slips his hands around her arms and squeezes, reassuring her that he is fine at the moment with Marcus here. He will deal with that later; he just wants to keep her from becoming one of his targets. He has to get the group moving, assuming reinforcements will be here soon when they realize the simulation has stopped. "We need to get moving, the train will be here soon." He turns and walks and as he passes his father he feels himself flinch slightly and immediately clenches his jaw. He hates that his father still affects him the way he does and one day he hopes he has the power to be around that man safe in the knowledge that he can't hurt him anymore.

He hears Tris mutter sorry to him and he turns to take her hand, wanting to let her know he enjoyed watching her stand up for him. They were each other's protectors and as long as they remembered that they would get through whatever this situation threw at them. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He could feel his hand shaking slightly and Tris squeezed it reassuringly, removed all fear from his body just as she did in the fear landscape. The power she had over him was amazing and he never wanted to let that go.

She turns to the group, "If we take the train in the opposite direction, out of the city, we can go to Amity headquarters. That's where the others went." The group begins to debate about Candor but all Four wants to do is get on the train, he has to escape what has become of his city and get Tris to safety. With Jeanine still running around, neither of them is safe here at the moment.

As they stand waiting for the train, Four can feel Tris begin to become weak on her feet. She had been shot not hours earlier yet still managed to rescue him. He doesn't even ask but picks her up, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. He feels her lean into his shoulder and her breath tickles his bare skin. He pulls her tighter; knowing the only way to keep her safe is to keep her close to him. He hates that Peter and Marcus are so close by, two people he would rather have Tris as far away from as possible. He has no idea what Peter's true intentions are but he isn't going to let him act on them if they include any malice toward Tris. He will be watching him closely, both of them, ready to attack if either even breath a word of harm toward her.

As the train approaches, Four reluctantly lets Tris down but keeps his hands on her. He watches her jump on, favoring her left arm over the right one. After he gets on, he sits down next to Tris immediately, choosing a spot that blocks Tris from Peter and Marcus' view. From now on if either of them wants to get to her, they will have to go through him. He can't stand it any longer, being this close to her and not touching her. He was holding back because of her brother but he learned his lesson from these recent events, they may not have time to waste.

He pulls Tris against him, wrapping his body around her so she is enclosed and safe. The day's events changed so much of their world; he had no idea how they were going to move forward. She whispered to him, "My parents died today." She said it so matter of factly, as if she hadn't processed they were gone from the world. He knew that feeling, when his mother died it took him a while, especially after the beating from Marcus, to process that she was really gone. Tris continued and Four let her get all the words out, knowing it would help the grieving process, "They did for _me._"

"They loved you; to them there was no better way to show it." Four realized he had never had that feeling, that his parents loved him enough to stay around. He knew his mother did but her death was so sudden that he felt in a way she had abandoned him. He felt her eyes on her and he let out some emotion he had been carrying around, "You nearly died today. I almost shot you. Why didn't you shoot me Tris?" He couldn't have lived with himself if he had come out of the simulation to have the memory of pulling that trigger. Four had no idea how she was able to stand there and stare down that gun, knowing he may never come back to her.

"I couldn't do that. It would have been like shooting myself." He knew the feeling, remembering when she got shot today and feeling the phantom bullet go through himself as well. He was still dwelling on the idea of the gun in his hands pressed against her forehead, the emotion of almost doing that to her caused him to lean in and brush his lips against hers. It wasn't the kiss he wanted, the one his body craved, but with so many witnesses, it was the only one the situation allowed.

He looked in her eyes and said, "I have something to tell you." She ran her hands over his and looked back at him, Four feeling his breath hitch in his body at the words he was about to say. He had known for a long time the way he felt but never got the right opportunity to say it. Now, after watching her get shot, having the memory of almost shooting her, and the uncertain future laid out ahead of them, Four realized he wasn't going to wait any longer.

"I might be in love with you," he smiled at her, "I'm waiting to tell you when I'm sure though." He laughed and kicked himself mentally, he knew but he just couldn't make himself that vulnerable. After everything he had been through in his life, breaking down that last wall was the hardest. He saw Tris smiling back at him and suddenly his heart soared, knowing he wasn't going to be able to contain those words for much longer.

"That's very sensible of you; we should find some paper so you can make a chart or a list or something." Tris teased him and Four laughed at her joke, grateful for her easing some of the tension. He pressed his lips to her face and then whispered in her ear, "Maybe I'm already sure and I just don't want to frighten you." Or myself, he thought. This kind of devotion to someone was new, having never felt this connection to anyone beside his mother and that was so long ago he barely remembered the feeling.

She smiled again and he heard her laugh, which was one of the greatest sounds he could hear, especially after the day they had. "Then you should know better." Four looked into her eyes and saw it there too but he saw her wall up still guarding it. She had been hurt so much today, Four assumed she couldn't say it because of the fear of losing him, the way she lost her parents. His heart couldn't take any other reason why, he knew she felt the same way and wouldn't press her to say it.

He leaned in close and let the last wall be broken by her; she did after all slowly break all the others down. "Fine," he said in a hushed voice, wanting this moment to only be shared by them, "I love you."

He didn't have to wait in agony to know how she felt or if he scared her because the minute the words were out of his mouth, her lips pressed against his. They shared a more passionate kiss, not caring who was around, and Four felt himself being tied to her, permanently, this was where he belonged. She was his life now, what he would live for and protect.

As they pull away, Four saw Tris playing with the hard drive and can feel Marcus' greedy stare on it. He pulls her into his chest, protecting her and the data they rescued. As the train moves forward, Four wasn't sure what they were going to find outside the fence but knows with Tris by his side, no matter what they faced, they would have the strength to overcome it.


	30. Epilogue: New Story

**I just posted the new story, An Insurgent Four, check it out on my profile! I only posted the 1st chapter. I am going to try to continue to post more chapters today as I don't have to work. Please continue to review, it helps me to know whether or not it is headed in the right direction. Thanks for being such loyal readers!**

**I am excited about this new project and writing this book in Four's POV. This book has a lot more angst and drama for Four and it should be a great time! I am probably going to end with this story, I don't think I will do Allegiant but we'll see how this one goes.**


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